ABSTRACT
To understand the function of normal character and the pathological nature of neurotic character this chapter describes position of the neurotic and psychotic symptom. Consideration of the prognosis and treatment of neurotic character affords a welcome opportunity of emphasizing that neurotic character studies are essentially tentative and have no claims to finality. The problem of neurotic character formation is essentially an ego problem and to be certain about the nature of prognosis or treatment, we must have definite information concerning the strength of super-ego formations and the efficiency of the ego in reality proving. To take extreme cases, a severe neurotic character would appear to have more serious prognosis where there was neither insight nor any subjective signs of neurosis. Nevertheless, we can say definitely concerning the treatment of neurotic character that the ultimate success of any treatment depends on classical psycho-analytic methods which do not shrink from subjecting the seemingly banal routine of everyday life to detailed scrutiny.
