You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
I Felt a Cleaving in my Mind —As if my Brain had split —I tried to match it — Seam by Seam —But could not make them fit.The thought behind, I strove to joinUnto the thought before —But Sequence ravelled out of SoundLike Balls — upon a Floor.
A TYPE OF MENTAL FUNCTIONING is often found in patients who convey an overly developed sense of self-sufficiency and independence. These patients present a particular clinical challenge, because many of them, while high-functioning, are overly defended and can be made uncomfortable with the treatment process. I use the concepts of premature ego development and the “mind-object” to explore the specific defensive posture of pseudo-maturity that characterizes the way in which these patients negotiate the demands of human relations. In addition, I pay particular attention to the way mind-object functioning shapes the somatic and sensory realm in these individuals, often narrowing access to the fullest range of their bodily states. I also focus on early development in order to highlight the preverbal stage in which the infant's somatic discovery of his or her own body is set. This issue is relevant in the psychoanalytic setting because the patients discussed here struggle