ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author presents the case study of Paul. Paul was extremely messy, spilling and smearing his food. He was clinging and demanding and often "abusive, offensive, and insulting". The author was gradually to discover that Paul's hostility was partially rooted in his need to preserve his defensive stance. From the beginning, the author recognized that Paul had cause for righteous anger, in that he was made to come, though at first he would mock the author's attempts to say this. An analyst who appears not to recognize the difference between good and bad cannot be an appropriate developmental object, and at times it is appropriate to express condemnation or anger with regard to a particular piece of behaviour. Both within and outside treatment, Paul maintained his fragile self-esteem by externalizing the many unacceptable aspects of himself and, identifying with the attacking and shaming superego, condemning these in me and in others.
