ABSTRACT
In this chapter, character analysis is reviewed, offering a clear demarcation from standard therapeutic techniques. Protocol of character analysis is reviewed with practical effective instructions. Stages of development from Freud to object relations are reviewed. This overview of developmental phases (the author’s consolidation of multiple theories) helps the reader understand the critical passageways of development starting in utero, including critical timing of brain development. Reich had a viewpoint that emphasized sexual development, the Oedipal complex, and libidinal drive theory. The chapter discusses the historic roots in Freud and Reich’s paradigm of phases and how and where Reich diverges from Freudian classical analytic theory. The author delineates her divergence from Reich’s paradigm with the inclusion of object relations theory and attachment phase emphasis. This paradigm shift has resulted in her expansion of Reich’s theory and character typology to include other character types founded on earlier phase problems in development, namely, the pregenital phases. Current society is manifesting a sea change in our view of what is “normal” sexual orientation to include gender diversity. The author’s method is inclusive of these changes and offers a clinical approach geared to varieties of family structures and gender configurations. This is a departure from the analytic framework of Reich regarding healthy sexuality.
