ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we hinted that fear or abhorrence of catastrophic change could be likened to addiction. Addiction to what? At the risk of stating the obvious, one could say: addiction to pleasure and desire. This may focus our attention not on addiction to drugs, religion, work or whatever—these are manifestations. If a psychoanalytic nosology seeks an expression closer to “O”, the numinous realm, this could be a more general description which will account for the multifarious individualities and particular cases. Alongside the apprehension of the psychotic and non-psychotic personalities (Bion, 1957a; reviewed in Sandler, 2005), one may say that when the psychotic personality prevails, fear of catastrophic change prevails. It would, in the hallucinated, pleasure-ridden mind of the person, threaten his (hallucinated) status quo, prompting an uncontrolled psychotic bout. The psychodynamics of this functioning can be recognised by the use the psychotic personality makes of the neurotic personality. So the observer will have contact with outward, external appearances typical of the neurotic part, such as adaptation to social and cultural codes and the appearance of hysterical, obsessive and phobic symptoms. Conversely, when the neurotic 340part prevails, abhorrence of catastrophic change prevails. Analytically trained observers will detect the outward, external appearance of psychotic traits such as rationalisation (as in the case of Schreber), persecution, and self-importance and self-reference. If this psychoanalytic nosology tries to make use of the theory of instincts, then in the case of fear of catastrophic change, life instincts prevail; while in the case of abhorrence, hateful and destructive instincts (directed at the reality of life as it is) prevail.
