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FREE ASSOCIATIONS (periodical)

CORRESPONDENCES BETWEEN BION'S BASIC ASSUMPTION THEORY AND KLEIN'S DEVELOPMENTAL

POSITIONS: AN OUTLINE

by Laurence J. Gould, Ph.D.

Source(s) Affects Object Major Secondary Adaptive

of Anxiety Relations Defense(s) Defense(s) Precursors

Fears of Anxiety Part-object and Splitting Denial Ordering

persecution split-object of impulses experience
and of the Dread orientation - e.g. and objects Idealization
destruction the good and bad into positive Healthy
Paranoid- of the ideal Primitive breast and negative Projective suspicion
Schizoid object and Terror aspects Identifications
Position the self Forming
ideals

Ability to act

Source(s) Affects Object Major Secondary Sophisticate

 of Anxiety Relations Defense(s) Defense(s) d Use of baF

Fear of Anxiety Group Splitting Idealization Realistic

persecution members off and of the leader action
by powerful Fear undifferentiated projecting orientations
enemies outward Denial of
Terror In group/Out intra-group aggression Sensitivity to
Basic
group mentality sources of danger and
Assumption
Panic anxiety and threat
Fight/Flight
Unambivalent aggression
intragroup Commitment
(baF)
relations
Loyal
Unambivalent followership
leader/follower
relations

Source(s) Affects Object Major Secondary Adaptive

of Anxiety Relations Defense(s) Defense(s) Precursors

Depressive Recognition Guilt Whole Reparation Sublimation Impulse

Position of dependency object control
and fear that Despair awareness Manic Displaceme
aggressive accompanied denial of nt Symbol
impulses will Depression by aggressive formation
destroy the dependency
 caretaker, or on the object
lead to hostile Envy impulses Inhibition Capacity for
retaliation creativity
Greed Aggressio Repression
n turned Capacity for
inward Splitting linking internal
states and
external
behavior

Source(s) Affects Object Major Secondary Sophisticate

of Anxiety Relations Defense(s) Defense(s) d Use of baD

Dependency Helplessness Dependenc Denial and Splitting - Appropriate

on the leader y on the repression of e.g. submission to
and fear of Powerlessness leader aggressive Idealization of authority
retaliation or and the group
abandonment Emptiness Submission destructive "believers" Learning
Basic
to authority impulses and hatred of from authority
Assumption
Depression toward the "non-
Dependency
Hierarchica leader believers" Realistic
Childishness l disciple-like gratitude
(baD)
relations with Idealizatio Scapegoatin
Thralldom/Aw the leader n of the g "non- Capacity for
e leader believers" discriminating
Leveling of followership
peers
 Source(s) Affects Object Major Secondary Adaptive
of Anxiety Relations Defense(s) Defense(s) Precursors

Fear of Jealousy Diadic/triangul Identificatio Regression Capacity for

exclusion ar interpersonal n with the to earlier passion
Deprivatio relations - e.g. aggressor defences
Fear of n rivaly and (splitting) Capacity for
retaliation competitions with Phantasy of associated mature
Exclusion one parent for the the combined with the sexuality and
Oedipus
and favor of the other parent (e.g. paranoid- romantic love
Complex
loneliness the phallic schizoid
mother) position - e.g. Mutuality
idealizing one
parent and Reproductive
derogating the desire
other

Source(s) Affects Object Major Secondary Sophisticate

of Anxiety Relations Defense(s) Defense(s) d Use of baP

Basic Recognitio Libidinal Mobilization Idealization Identificatio Recognition

Assumption n of excitement and maintenance and n with the pair of a pair as a
Pairing separateness of the pair preservation source of
and fear of Vicarious of the pair in Denial of creativity
(baP) exclusion pleasure Vicarious order to despair
engagement with sustain hope Recognition
Hope the pair Repression of a pair as a
Repressions and denial of source of
of rivalry and change and
 Competition to competition one's sexuality renewal and
be the pair's with either continuity
favorite child member of the
pair Reproduction
of the group
and realistic
future
orientation