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.
A brief summary of the studies on cognitive organization is provided along with some suggestions as to their psychoanalytic background. A current research involving the assessment of patterns of spontaneous attention deployment (scanning) is outlined. The scanning mechanism is viewed as one of a number of cognitive control principles which is organized into a secondary process ego
structure. These ego structures bear some relationship to defense structures but develop from different antecedents. Some evidence points to a relationship between the extensive use of scanning and the defense of isolation. The work summarized is in the forefront of the integration of psychoanalytic ego psychology and academic psychology.