ABSTRACT
Think of a female who exudes more allure proffering her cigarette for a light than Cleopatra achieved floating in her barge. The craving for excitement is one of the most characteristic features of the hysteric, even if outwardly her life seems routine and decorous. A number of characteristic features can be understood in these terms. The most characteristic form anger takes is righteous indignation. Hysterics are not satisfied to retaliate for hurts suffered, they seem to seek out incidents about which to feel abused. A factor distinguishing the hysteric from, say, the paranoid character is the extent to which there is some foundation for the accusations. The depressive person does permit himself a modicum of feelings, but they are consistently in one direction. The ultimate etiology for the depressive person lies in the early mother-child relationship. Immature personalities will show characteristic malformations of the superego as well.
