Who Is A Schizoid. Character Traits

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

How is a schizoid character treated, is it possible, and how much is it possible? What is most important for a schizoid in therapy?

In the client-therapy relationship, the most important thing for the schizoid is that he is not controlled, kept and kicked out. If he sees that the therapist is controlling the process of distance in a relationship, then he will be frightened and angry. Both trying to keep him in therapy, and trying to kick him out of therapy, and say: "You seem to have enough." If the therapist says this, then the schizoid can lead, on the contrary, to the fact that: “No! Then I will walk even more! " At the same time, the schizoid checks the therapist for stability to withstand his breaks, departures, arrivals, and late arrivals. Schizoids may have all this, but they do it not maliciously, but out of fear.

In the schizoid, the basis of character is fear. If for narcissists it is shame, for a depressive character it is guilt, then for a schizoid it is fear. Fear of absorption or fear of consuming your attachment. And this fear should be taken into account when working with a schizoid. If he finds such a therapist who takes into account his fears, is very careful and respects the schizoid transitions inward-outward, go-back, then, in the end, the schizoid becomes very attached to the therapist. But there may be a danger of becoming too attached. And after 1-2-3 years, the therapist and the client suddenly discover: "Oh, but you came to therapy in order to arrange in your life close, intimate relationships, spiritual, spiritual relationships with the opposite sex!" And it turns out that these close relationships are arranged in therapy. If this is noticed, then great - there will be no problems. The schizoid client will eat this attachment as much as he needs. And, in the end, he wants a full-fledged relationship, and not like this once or twice a week, for one hour. And the schizoid will create them, but he must be given a choice, given the right to decide when he will do it and how he will do it. And how much time does he need to gorge himself on this attachment, which, most likely, did not exist with his mother.

By the way, these inward-outward - inward-outward movements are leveled only by therapy. If a person does not have therapy, then what is called regression will happen to him - withdrawal into himself (what psychoanalysis calls “withdrawal into the womb”) every time he is faced with rejection, with disappointment in other people, or with a real loss of relationships, or with the loss of a person, including his death. And as soon as he collides, he goes into himself and for a long time. Sometimes it can take six months or even a year. And then it is very difficult to get out, goes out. He will live for a while, again encounters some insurmountable difficulty associated with other people and again withdraws into himself. And so it will be every time if the schizoid does not come to psychotherapy.

The schizoid will very strongly control the psychologist, the psychotherapist in how much he really is with the client's soul and emotions, how much he is involved, how interesting he is. But this control is not evil, it is rather a sensitivity to whether they are actually listening to it or not.

The schizoid is very sensitive in many ways. Up to the point that a schizoid can feel if the therapist suddenly thinks about completing the practice. The schizoid is not easy enough if the therapist needs to go on vacation. Of course, the situation is easier than with borderline personality disorder. A schizoid who is organized at a fairly healthy level of mental development will normally experience these therapist's vacations, especially if he is warned about this in advance and prepares.

The treatment of schizoids is usually associated with the search for relationships or the establishment of current relationships. They often come at a time when, in a relationship with a man or woman, their partner is distancing himself in the relationship. Or vice versa, when the partner requires more intimacy than he can give. They become afraid of losing this attachment in both cases. Security breaks down and they come to therapy. Also, the schizoid comes into therapy from a general feeling of loneliness or to experience loss when this happens.

Schizoid therapy is most often related to relationships, and it is very rare that they come from work. Schizoids are highly efficient at work, they sublimate most of the energy there. They invest a lot in work and are hardworking, they can work very much and effectively, in a creative profession and not in a creative one either. Often it is high achievements, oddly enough, that schizoids achieve. But they don't need the recognition of their grandiose personality as narcissists. They need recognition for their work. For example, it is written very beautifully, drawn very well, or so that their work has an impact on other people at a deep level. That is, a person boasts not so much of himself as of his worldview, his skills, his skills. And it is in this zone that they may have hunger, the need for recognition.

Successful therapy with schizoids will take place when it is possible to unfold this anger at the mother, rage, hatred, aggression about the fact that she did not give love or gave very little, sparingly, somehow wrong. It's important to turn that anger out. Initially, the schizoid submits this for therapy, like love. He loves his mother very much, no matter how bad she is. Even if she is clearly bad, did bad things, he is madly in love with her. There are times when it is not very clear that the mother did bad things. But I, as a therapist, for example, feel that there is something wrong in affection with my mother, some kind of broken connection with her. And these cases, when we are looking for some kind of psychological disturbance in the relationship between the mother and the child, but outwardly it seems that everything was done correctly, are more complicated. This love unfolds, transforms into what it should have been - anger. And it is also very important in therapy - to enable the schizoid to be angry with the therapist. Now, if this anger at the therapist appears, then everything is already going to improve.

And about the treatment. Treatment of a schizoid cannot be a complete elimination of features, as in general, any treatment in any characterology. It doesn't level out once and for all. How to become perfect? Become zero? All the same, in one way or another, a person belongs to some type of personality more or less. That is, the treatment of a schizoid, by and large, is an alignment of accentuation. She's not so strong now, but a little smaller. The same need, the same inward-outward movements, but not with such differences. It is more even, less painful. Moreover, other defenses are being built up. For schizoids, this can be an important part, because they have primary level defenses - withdrawal into themselves only.

Many schizoids still have rationalization, intellectualization. But this is already for schizoids of a high level of personality organization. Protection is needed so that the schizoid can defend his subtle, sensitive, sensitive body, soul from other people, from their attacks, devaluation, condemnation, and everything to which the schizoid is sensitive. It is also sensitive to depreciation, but not so much. He would rather just withdraw into himself and everything will end there. But a schizoid can perceive depreciation from a person to whom he is strongly attached.

Even in therapy, compensations are accumulated, including, for example, narcissistic compensation. If schizoids - highly effective, hardworking - add more narcissistic compensation in the plan - to present themselves beautifully and correctly, then, in the end, a more whole picture appears. Also, in the course of therapy, the neurotic part is added. Neurotic not in the sense of neurosis. According to the dynamic concept of personality, in gestalt, the neurotic part is about relationships, intimacy. Schizoids can tolerate relationships, more intimacy, through therapy. That is, if earlier they could more precisely, approached each other for a couple of minutes, for an hour and that's all, then over time they can withstand intimacy, close relationships longer and longer. The ability to withstand closeness and the ability to withstand loneliness expands within. Both parts are improving. But the schizoid will already rather choose closer to a relationship than to isolation. Because he is gaining experience that in a relationship it is not so scary and there are good people with whom it is safe to build relationships, to whom it is safe to become attached. And they begin to believe that there is safe, good love.