The Society of Analytical Psychology Dedicated to Deeper Understanding COPYRIGHT NOTICE Course of Study: P1.BW Reference: Winnicott, D.W. (1974) Fear of Breakdown In Psychoanalytic Explorations pp.87-95 Harvard Uni Press: Boston ISBN: 978-1-85575-853-7 Name of Designated Person Authorising Scanning: Andrew Russell IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Staff and students of the Society of Analytical Psychology are reminded that copyright subsists in this extract and the work from which it was taken. The digital copy should not be downloaded or printed by anyone other than a student enrolled on the named course or the course tutor(s). Tt has been made under the terms of a CLA licence which allows you to: + Access and download a copy + Print out a copy This Digital Copy and any digital or printed copy supplied to or made by you under the terms of this Licence are for use in connection with this Course of Study. 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Please, therefore, ensure you download your readings before the end of your course or the current academic year at the very latest as they will no longer be available to you after this time.18 Fear of Breakdown Written in 19632" "vironment t0 DOrrOW nce in the facilitating ‘well behaved ‘comes the Very a Hess eed tobe wel ‘pehaved except behaving badly. ecause of the cir- init cannot be made BEC Jiminary Statement eration which cannot Of hich evidently the pa i - he infanle omniP OA Ty her mother has bess My clinical experieness have brought me recently to new under- Scot getcieamsceny |) Sitrieer bee ager lesale on Greek istianity in Irland, iis my ; simply a ich is Se story, Druids, the oo te Tor this patient with pew for me and which perhaps is new for others who ‘work in psycho- oa a ross which isi8 circle. Re-stating Te ne Oedipus complex ‘ferapy. Naturally, if what I say has truth in it, this will already have the he scene experience of omnipotent ‘elationships are Out then dealt with by the world’ poets, but the flashes of insight that anit text in = Per ionshiDs al eee) rele they poetry cannot absolve us from our painful task of geting anal cans pores a OSD ere ane OP came cp aay fom ignorance towards our gol I my opiion side the Projet wht up in fates 1-6 ‘with the P: theca suady ofthis limited area leads to a restarement of several other are doomed, ale iam thar puts a we fait do 8 welll a5 we would tence POI prope do, and {shall indicate at the end what extensions ofthe “feory I propose for discussion. ac of breakdown is a feature of significance in some of our patients ‘borin others. From this observation, if i be a correct one, the fusion can be drawn that fear of breakdown is related to the duals past experience, and to environmental vagaries. At Meame time there must be expected a common denominator of the ofa compotion is ence. athe Davidson Clinic in Edinburgh in 1963, Dut that anoter paper was given es around ths sme that Winnicoe uted the same material the postscript Gissieaion” 196), in The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating enon Hoga Pe New Yr: Ineraona Unerite Pr 126) Trycology of Madness” (1965), Chapter 21 inthis volume, Winnicor Ciialy that he encountered the ida behind “Fea of Breakdowa™” ‘or ott possible fora complete breakdown of defences fo be exper 8788 Psycho-Analysis: Theory and Practice same fear, indicating the existence of universal phenomena; these in- ‘deed make it possible for everyone to know empathetically what it feels like when one of our patients shows this fear in a big way. (The ‘same can be said, indeed, of every detail of the insane person's insan- ity. We all know about it, although this particular detail may not be bothering us.) Emergence of the Symptom Not all our patients who have this fear complain of it at the outset of, ‘treatment. Some do; but others have their defences so well orga- ised that itis only after a treatment has made considerable progress that the fear of breakdown comes to the fore as a dominating factor. For instance, a patient may have various phobias and a complex organisation for dealing with these phobias, so that dependence does fnot come quickly into the transference. At length dependence be- comes a main feature, and then the analyst's mistakes and failures become direct causes of localised phobias and so of the outbreak of fear of breakdown. Meaning of “Breakdown” have purposely used the term “breakdown” because it is rather ‘vague and because it could mean various things. On the whole the word can be taken in this context to mean a failure of a defence or- ganisation. But immediately we ask: a defence against what? And this {eads us to the deeper meaning of the term, since we need to use the word “breakdown” to describe the unthinkable state of affairs that underlies the defence organisation. Te will be noted that whereas there is value in thinking that in the area of psycho-neurosis it is castration anxiety that lies behind the defences, in the more psychotic phenomena that we are examining it is a breakdown of the establishment ofthe unit self that is indicated. “The ego organises defences against breakdown of the ego-organiss- tion, and it is the ego-organisation that is threatened. But the eB cannot organise against environmental failure in so far as dependence is a living fact. In other words, we are examining a reversal of the individual's ma- turational process. This makes it necessary for me briefly to refor ‘mulate the early stages of emotional growth. Fear of Breakdown 89 Emotional Growth, Early Stages The individual inherits a maturational process. This cat il lng ns to tee ei a acting eoonens na only in so far as this exists. The facilitating environment is itself a complex phenomenon and needs special study in its own right; th essential feature is that it has a kind of growth of its own, being adapted to the changing needs of the growing individual. The individual proceeds from absolute dependence to relative de- pendence and towards independence. In health the development takes gle a ps that dos ne oustip the development of complexity in i mental mechani, thi Big Inked neao-hyopea The facilitating environment can be described as ingino bonding to wich added shee peeing ee In such a facilitating environment the individual undergoes deve copment which can be clasifed as integrating, to which is added in. dueling (or psycho-somatic collusion) and then object-relating. “This a gros oversimplifeaton but it mus oufcein thi a Iewill be observed tha in such a description forward movement in development corresponds closely with the threat of retrograde move. sent (and defences against this threat) in schizophrenic illness. Absolute Dependence At the time of absolute depende rith the ‘ ence, with the mother suppyi aus ego-inction, it has to be remembered thar the tert hen not yet separated out the “not-me” from the “me”—this cannot hi 7 Pen apar fom the establishment of “me” “F Primitive Agonies [orbs char iis posible wo make a it of primitive gone (ana Weimer rong enough word he) 7 i A teturn o an unintgrated sate. (Defence: disintegration Falling forever. (Defence: sel-holding.) ‘seaton) 5. Loss of ps sycho-somatic collusion, failure ea afcasomatc callus, fale of indweling, De-go Peco-Anli THO and Pri primary narcis- ble to encompass something. The ego is too immature fo gather all 4g. Loss of sem5© of real. (Defens exploitation of Pt the phenomena into the area of personal omnipotence. etc. core, (Defence: autistic states, ‘must be asked here: why does the patient go on being worried “ ef eapacty to seat 1 SPIES (efen pyle that bong the past The anower most be cha he oie ebating only © self-phenomens.) by reience of primitive agony cannot get into the past tense unless ‘And 50 07+ i expe ean fst gather it into its own present ke expen and iif omnipotent control now (assuming the auxiliary ego-supporting Defence fanesion ofthe mother (analyst) ; Psychotic Illness a8 a ig al 7 fj other words the patient must go on looking for the past detail show here that what We 5, linically is always a abich is nt yet experienced. This search takes the form of a looking eis my intention fo in the autism of “spldhood schizophrenia, Toe this deta inthe future. defence organisation: €V°% era rk successfull ; sr nghinkable. ct the therapat can work successfully on the basis chat this Th nde eank of peo ines ul sent aed af, pv Bonen where gcfenve organisation seatve 0 in ronment has been not de> being omother ad ifthe patient is eady for some kind of accept- defen excep whem ee AG ging thas cam haem S02 - ikind of truth, thae what i i c ce perhaps te wort 6 aro his queer kind of eth, that what is not yet ‘experienced did ficient butt ; 2 es happenin the pas hen the way is open forthe agony human baby)- ere empevienced inthe transference, i reaction {0 the analyst's fail- word mistakes. These later canbe dealt with by she patient in of Main that are not ‘excessive, and the patient can account for each Starement aie rns out 10 be vey ms ea le Fd analygt as countetransference. In other words, meakdown is the fear of @ gradually the patient gathers the ‘original failure of the facilitating ve a fear of the oti: is he Pe the area of his or her omnipotence and the experi ‘hich the patient a ence which belongs to the state of dependence (trans- ie aici very dificult, time-consuming and painful but it at any yan yale, What i futile i the alternative, and it is eis that now be examined. pro wunders "There ace mo = needs to be told that dl : dhidden2 take for granted an understanding and acceptance of the anal- ther life, has already been. 2 ¢ “aly rcho-neurosis. On the basis of this assumption I say that in pet the unconscious. THe tl inconsci 2 sam discussing the analysis starts off well the analysis goes with the in scious of paveho-neuresss j what is happening, however, is that the analyst and the pa- a of the Ps ‘ “having a good time colluding in a psycho-neurotic analysis, fe the illness is psychotic. ove again the analysing couple are pleased with what ave-done together. It was valid, it was clever, it was cosy be- ‘collusion, But each so-called advance ends in destruction.® And who can blame 2 (Unless ‘of course there can be an fish on a very long psycho-nesronc Yine, and hopes final catch by some trick of fate, such as the death of one OF ‘other of the couple, OF failure of finan- cial backing.) Ae enust assume that both pated and analyst really do wish to end the analysis, there is nO ‘end unless the ‘bottom of the vores the thing feared as been experi enced. Andi pavent to have a breakdown (physical or ment tort very wel. However, the soln- womnciude analytic understanding ‘ind indeed, many of the pa- ‘people who cannot afford to rental hospital: farrention to the possibility far the beginning of the 2 ghis but it is not tients 1 am rel break down in the sense ‘The purpose that the breakdown individual's life there for itt0 for the patient t© present, that is t0 $2% pen becomes a marter of : by the patent forthe Bist time, equiv othe outcome isthe eavalent ‘of the lifting of repression ecurs in the analysis of the vgeho-neuzric patient (classical ian analysis). urther Applications of This TREOTY Fear of Death Little alteration is eral thesis of Seal we death. This is pethans & mt, com seeded to weansfer the gem breakdown to 4 5 bed in the religious teachins® ined, and this. ms compulsion to look for death. Again, pened ies ace a Aoi, ie he dea ter hs en Keats was “half in love with ” ing vo my iden that [am puting es bea ioagan bec ee ing ould come if he could “remember” having i oheniman berber exprenc dent no — ‘Most of my ideas are inspired by pa eee erat te ene hepa “yetomenal Sk ioc happened nce pst a death 282 phenomenon, b cer Se hae ieee ero aie to find a solution by suicide, that ‘send : ty ~ which has already happened to the ps} che, Su ide io answer, however, buts a despair gesture. I now Tinders the fs ie what my hones an vn, “id kil el) the Ewen she sid: All Task you to dois to help me — ie bene nen fre ng reason” Idd not, oe and i ela daa ‘Going the solution Hee it stated by me _ ai go On this basis I think she and | Sra hae coed hr pat body det el ob ook ol abled her 19 is ath, looked at in this way as ing Be ae fash mening ania, tke this, hata pawern devel n eel continuity of being was interrupted by the a rad esasony mong, bong ying faces impinge iilures of the facilit ae of pat ot seedeay adi beter ature awareness awakened before bit oad a See ee kre Wok ow coapicand Oy or d placenta praevia.) pi pe patents show 7 pai ime that the concept of emptines hough ee ame seca, cer of empaness cn be mptiness needs to be ex = 3c experienced, and this emy aso the past, to the time before the deere o 7 ; Doni remponenoeexpece ‘may itis necessary to think not of ge ink not of trauma b to remember trauma than to remembera4, Beycho- Analysis: Theory and Practice vhen it might have happened. At the Se the eat might have happened, and s@ could not sreept to note that something mi nothing happening WI patient did not know Experience anything © ight have been. Example Aa phase in a patient's treatment i960 this. This young woman Tay uslesslyon the couch, and all ‘she could do was to says “Nothing the patient had supplied material wa that she was probably feeling wen feeling feelings, and she had been expesencing t cording 10 hee viern which made her despait- clinically. elf (nearly) being the cause now of her female sexuality Szling outs when this was properly stated we fad an example in the present of whe able times. In her ca ‘eas a father who at first was “Tame to her home when she w SHrughter’ female self, and had nothing © give ulus. Hsu emptiness isa prerequisite for EBB gather in, Primary emptiness simply means: before saPENE fill up. A considerable ma: cinfey & needed fr tis state to be mea E Tonptiness occurring in & eeatmen tying to experience, a past sate that cam by being experienced forthe firs 68 now. In pracice the difficulty is thatthe emptiness, and in defence will cating oF Not ‘which is compulsive and wanmptiness itself and rolerate this sf b co emriary ego of the analyst then, (AKIN in ean st tion; here ca ing that is not @ it off) as part of the also itis i gr patiens who cannot learn can B=Bi8 to learn scription) there surably. rape basis ofall learning (as well 5 of eating) is emptiness: ‘ppened fo her innumer- | | nora defence, Ie can be os Fear of Breakdown 95 emptiness was not experienced as such ci hua cel ye comparing Non-Existence ‘The search for personal no existence can be examined in cca anee found that non-existence here is otra ‘toe Fmt ses ep pm len andthe pean mak nga amp to proestevehng hat add rete wet ey eaek sophisticated defence, and the aim Bro ity (atthe depressive ‘ ied sono wat woul cl he age Silaltseenion Ine the age of twit he inherent implication t REPUDIATE rd ei sora, imma ee er the childhood 8 'm ing of the castle—you’r rt anes SE tie ba aaond a ikea ole cole wh eee po Thruetec beng ne. ai i eit orig endl teachings ia wchs exile ee ae clin an attempt to counter the personal conent meanest pr of nnd dec mre positive element in allthis, that is, an element th Mere supe id that only out of non-existence ps om 1g how early (even before birth, certainly ~ ding the birth proc “ting he beth process) awareness ora premature ego can be mobi ised. But the individual cannot develop from an ego root if ‘an ego root if this is at a | divorced from psycho-somatic experience and fro! ind from primary narcis- m, It is just here that be a «begins the intellectualisat nos, can be noted ete thal chi i ions dixancein Gc i ohn of anyhing that ould seul be called ly be called self. pte 0 chow cat far of breakdown can be a fea of a ea fear of a i experienced. Eiuivalent to 2 nced to remember in sims of the snap =" terms of the analysis of ‘can be applied t 0 other ali ‘of death and the search for cnptnes andhave mentioned