THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS 35:183-185 (1975)

BRIEF C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

The Guilt of Schizophrenia as a Universal "Guil t"

This paper calls attention to the theory of unconscious guilt as being a universal core emotional problem, and to the theory of unconscious part-object interrelating. The psychodynamics this author had previously attempted to delineate as those unique to the "schizophrenic" are now felt to be the basic emotional problems of mankind.

Oral incorporative guilt develops in the ambivalent stage of orality from marked frustration and subsequent sadistic incorporative fantasies. It has been described as "oral," "nonsexual," "primal,' .... antedating the super ego," and "pathologic." Sup- posedly indicative of severe emotional rejection and deprivation at the earliest forma- tion of object relations, oral incorporative guilt has been previously presented, along with unmet oral dependency needs, as the core psychodynamic problem in the nucleus of "schizophrenia." This guilt is also characterized by a fear that if oral dependency needs were met, destruction and violence would ensue, created by an innate sense of contaminating badness and an all-pervasive irrational guiltiness.

The symptoms of "schizophrenia" in part manifest this oral incorporative guilt, with the hebephrenic denying guilt, the paranoid projecting guilt, and the catatonic fearing to move because of guilt, or else losing all control and expressing the rage behind the guilt. Noting that there had been a recent statistical shift in the classification of the "schizophrenias" from the classical subtypes to the chronic undifferentiated and a shift to more usage of terms such as " latent," '!ambulatory," "borderline," and "pseudoneurotic," this author presented the concept that the nebulous oral dependency needs-the need to feel wanted, needed, desired, and of worth and importance -a long with the nebulous "gui l t" - that which tended to make an individual feel inferior, un- important, unacceptable, worthless, "bad," "wrong," or "guilty " - were the basic

emotional problems in anyone emotionally uncomfortable. Part-object relationships have been described as characteristic of"schizophrenia" by

a number Of authors. This author, in his work on transference language, at first con- firmed this, but then went on to show in more detailed studies thatall people, in their interpersonal relationships, have an unconscious part-object interrelating. The uncon- scious perceives parts of objects in the interpersonal relationship sphere and relates to

Brief Communications does not include references or bibliographies. These may be secured by writing to the American ]ourna/ of Psychoanalysis.

183

184 BRIEF C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

these from parts within itself. A repression of the anger from unconsciously perceived part-object frustrations of the oral dependency needs leads to a build-up of unconscious guilt. (A part-object oriented theory for emotional uncomfortableness now provides a psychodynamic explanation for the "schizophrenogenic" process and endogenous depression, whereas previously the failure of whole-object explanations led to the search for organic causes.)

This author now believes that unconscious guilt is universal to man and that from this "guil t" arise all feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, unacceptableness, unimportance, worthlessness, and so on, that become rationalized in the conscious. He has further postulated that there are two types of unconscious guilt. One is the personality core guilt which arises from oral dependency need frustration during the early develop- mental period of an individual, with the patterns of ego defenses of an individual that make up his personality forming about this core guilt. These feelings derived from the unconscious core guilt are compensated for by the various defenses of the ego and the particular patterns of behavior and wishes of the individual. A high level of personality core guilt represents a high potential for later emotional uncomfortableness, in that it will tend to block the unconscious perception of oral need gratification in part-object relationships and will likewise block the ventilation of anger on a part-object basis that normally occurs in interpersonal communication. High levels of personality core guilt make it difficult for an individual to involve himself in "talking cures" to reduce the level of his guilt.

When the oral dependency needs are frustrated later in life, with the repression of the resulting anger, still more guilt is added to the personality core guilt. This additional guilt has been termed the recently added guilt. This can be, like the core guilt, either self-felt, or projected. In both cases it is rationalized and concretized in a myriad of individualistic ways. It can be reduced through subtle unconscious part-object com- municative interaction with transference figures.

Transference language has been described as the latent or hidden content of inter- personal communication. It is emotionally oriented and is analogous to the latent con- tent of a dream. Like the manifest content of a dream, the manifest content of inter- personal communication is metaphorical or allegorical. The same ego functions that occur in a dream also work in the production of the manifest content of interpersonal communication. And, as in a dream, the manifest content of communication is secondary in formation to its latent content. Since all interpersonal relationships are transference relationships (except the primary one), transference factors are always operable in interpersonal communication, and a transference language can always be detected. Under a reality-oriented guise of being intellectual, logical, and usually un- emotional, there is continually operating, in man's interpersonal relationship sphere, an illogical, irrational, and emotionally oriented part-object interrelating. This interrelating isprimary and unconscious to the intellectual functioning, and its intensity depends on the intensity of the transference. The person in the immediate "Here-and-Now" from whom one is seeking help is emotionally imbued. Unconsciously perceived "parts" of him will be equated with the part objects of the seeker's present and with the part ob-

BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS 185

jects of the seeker's past that were sought out to meet the seeker's oral needs and that frustrated him in the meeting of those needs. In ventilating his hostility, after pro- jecting his guilt to an unconsciously perceived part of his transference-imbued listener, he reduces his guilt and is then able to meet more of his oral needs.

"Schizophrenia," that entity Kraepelin first described and Bleuler attempted to clarify but placed in the context of human experience, is now presented as universal to man. What muddies up the diagnostic waters of schizophrenia still further is that high levels of unconscious guilt frequently lead to high levels of reality success. Compensa- tion for the feelings of worthlessness and unimportance can lead to successful en- deavors to be outstanding in any field. The attempts to gratify the oral dependency needs in some individualistically conditioned way in reality, and the atlLempts to simil- arly compensate the unconscious guilt, provide the two-part motivation for anyone's desire for success. Implications of the above can be far reaching and are left to the speculation of the reader.

David Shave, M.D.