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The purpose of this paper is to introduce the autistic character as a diagnostic entity and then delineate the formative early object relations, the symptoms and how they develop out of the early object relations, and the related defensive behavior. The paper will end with recommendations for treatment.
The autistic character is someone who shows unrelatedness, distance, and coldness in his interpersonal relations as a consequence of not being sufficiently responded to and stimulated by the interpersonal world. The schizoid character also shows unrelatedness, distance, and coldness, but if we look beyond the apparent similarity of these symptoms, we find discrete differences between the autistic character and the schizoid character as to feeling states, formative object relations, and the meaning and function of the symptoms themselves. Both do show unrelatedness, distance, and coldness in their interpersonal relations, but whereas the schizoid character experiences relief from distancing people, the autistic character feels depressed and anxious over his distance from people.* This occurs because the schizoid has been intruded into and overwhelmed, while the autistic character has been ignored. Thus the schizoid becomes unrelated in order to defend himself against overwhelming interpersonal intrusion, whereas the unrelatedness of the autistic character is the