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The general proposition has been suggested that advancing psychoanalytic theory, particularly ego psychology, now makes possible the attempt to break down into its components various complex psychological functions often regarded as simple, unitary expressions of one or another of the three psychic institutions: id, ego superego.
As an example of such an attempted analysis, the role of "comic teasee" has been discussed as one possible development in a masochistic character. This role is seen as a characterological expression of a masochistic development, the latter being conceived of also as a complex configuration specifically designed not to encompass primarily an unconscious need for punishment, but to maintain a balance between primitive libidinal and aggressive drives and at least four specific mechanisms of defense: introjection, denial, reaction formation, and projection. In addition specific ego-adaptive functions also play a decisive role. I have tried to show that one or another of these components may come to the fore clinically, depending on the existing efficiency of ego functioning at the time.