The Role of the Other in Some Forms of Psychopathology

This article concerns itself with certain types of psychopathology that while not as severe as psychosis or borderline syndromes, are quite dissimilar from most neurotic disorders. The specific characteristic of these pathological states is a blurring of the boundary between the self and others, resulting in a situation where others are used to perform certain functions which are normally carried out by parts of the self. The hallmark of these conditions is therefore a pathological dependency upon environmental figures in order to function adequately and to maintain self-esteem. While dependency is a common feature in neurotic conditions, there does not exist the desperate craving from others of needed narcissistic supplies. Neurotic disorders seem to result from an internal conflict between secret wishes and a need to maintain a specific self-image (whether this conflict is expressed in orthodox psychoanalytic terms or in the lexicons of the various other schools), while in these disorders another person is necessary for the very sense of self. Without belaboring this distinction, two reported dreams may clarify this difference. The first dream was reported by a physician who might best, be described as an obsessive personality. While free from rituals or obsessions, he was meticulous in his everyday life, tended to intellectualize and suppress affect, and was generally inhibited and rigid. In the dream, he enters the office of another doctor in his building (whom he had described as even more rigid and meticulous than himself) and to his surprise finds a group of hippies painting murals on the walls. He immediately tries to kick them out when