Chapter 8 Externalization

All the pompous devices the neurotic employs to close the gap between his idealized self and his real self end up only widening the gap still further.But since the idealized image has such great subjective value, he must find ways to make it acceptable to himself.He has many means of doing this, and here we examine a lesser known one, but one which has a particularly serious influence on the structure of the neurosis. This approach, which I call externalization, is the tendency for the patient to perceive internal processes as if they were happening outside of himself, and to believe that these external factors are causing his troubles.Like idealizing behavior, the purpose of externalizing tendencies is to avoid the real self.But the difference is that the reprocessing of real personality by idealized behavior always stays within the territory of the ego, while the tendency to externalize means completely abandoning the ego.In short, the patient can seek refuge from fundamental conflicts in his idealized image; I have nothing to rely on, so the only thing I can do is to escape from myself and see everything as coming from outside.

Part of this phenomenon belongs to the act of projection, the so-called objectification of personal problems.People generally use projection to describe such a behavior: there are tendencies or qualities that are disliked in oneself, but it is regarded as something in others.For example, if you have tendencies such as betrayal, ambition, domination, arrogance, and humbleness, you suspect that others have such tendencies.In this sense the term projection is used quite correctly.However, externalization is a more complex phenomenon, and blame-shifting is only one aspect.The patient not only takes the fault as someone else's, but even takes all his feelings as someone else's to a certain extent.A person with an externalizing tendency will feel deeply disturbed by the oppressed in small and weak countries, but cannot be aware of the oppression he feels.He may not feel his own disappointment, but he has a deep understanding of the disappointment of others.Of particular importance in this respect is his unawareness of his own attitudes towards others.For example, he may feel that someone is angry at him when in reality he is angry at himself.Not only that, he will attribute his bad temper or good mood, failure or success to external factors.He regards setbacks as destiny and success as natural; even the good or bad mood is due to the weather.When a man feels that his life depends on others, for better or for worse, he is naturally preoccupied with changing others, reforming them, punishing them, influencing them, or protecting himself from their interference.In this way, externalization leads to a dependence on the other—very different, of course, from that produced by a pathological craving for tenderness.At the same time, it also leads to excessive dependence on external conditions.Whether he lived in the city or the country, whether he ate this kind of food or that, went to bed early or late, belonged to this group or to that group--these things became uncannily important.In this way he acquires that quality which Jung called extroversion.Whereas Jung saw extraversion as a one-sided development of temperamental tendencies, I see it as an attempt by the patient to resolve conflicts through externalization.

Another unavoidable by-product of externalization is the patient's painful awareness of a void and shallowness.But the feeling was once again misplaced.Instead of feeling an emotional void, he experiences it as a gut void, and forces himself to eat more to get rid of that void.Or, he is afraid that his underweight will make him unable to stand like a chicken feather in the wind, and when the wind comes, he will be swept away.He would even say that if everything about him were analyzed, then he would be nothing but an empty shell.The more severe the patient's tendency to externalize, the more he seems to be just a shadow, which may float around at any time.

These are the connotations of the externalization process.Let us now see how it helps to alleviate the divergence between the ego and the idealized image which always leaves unconscious scars; the more successfully the patient identifies himself with the idealized image, the more unconscious he becomes .Most often, the patient expresses self-contempt and anger against himself and feels oppressed; these feelings not only cause him great distress, but also deprive him of the ability to live in different ways. The externalizing tendency of self-contempt can take the form of contempt for others or feeling despised by others, usually both.Which side is more serious, or at least more conscious, depends on the overall structural form of the neurosis.The more aggressive the patient is, the more he feels that he is right and good, the easier it is to despise others, and the less he will think that he has been despised; He felt worthless.This last feeling is especially dangerous.It makes people timid, artificial and self-enclosed.It makes one feel grateful for even a little tenderness or affection, down to the point of despicability.At the same time, he could not accept sincere friendship at all, and blindly regarded it as an act of charity cast on the wrong person.He feels defenseless against pompous people, because there is a part of him that agrees with them, and he takes his contempt for granted.Naturally, these reactions feed dissatisfaction, which, if repressed and built up, is bound to explode with energy.

Nonetheless, experiencing self-contempt through externalized forms has a particularly subjective value.For the patient to feel his contempt for himself destroys what little he has of false self-confidence and pushes him to the breaking point.On the contrary, although it is painful to be despised by others, the patient feels that there is always hope to change other people's attitudes, that there is always the possibility of complaining morally, or that the other person is secretly regarded as unfair.And if you look down on yourself, you won't even get all of this.There is no room for help.The patient's unconscious sense of his own hopelessness is clearly brought to the fore.Not only will he begin to despise his own weaknesses, but he will also feel that he is simply contemptible and worthless.His merits are therefore driven into the abyss of inferiority complex.In other words, he will feel that he is the image he despises most, and he will see this as a constant fact and feel completely hopeless.This brings up a problem that doctors should pay attention to during the treatment process, that is, it is best not to touch the patient's sense of inferiority, and wait until the patient's sense of despair has weakened and he no longer clings to his idealized image. aspects of work.Only at that time can the patient face his low self-esteem and begin to realize that his low self-esteem is not an objective fact, but his own subjective feeling, arising from his own unattainable standards.After being kinder to himself, he will see that the situation is not irreversible, that the qualities he dislikes are not really contemptible, but are difficulties which he can eventually overcome.

We cannot understand his irritation with himself, or the severity of it, unless we keep in mind how important it is for the patient to maintain the illusion that he is the idealized image.Not only was he disillusioned with his inability to live up to his ideals, he was literally furious with himself.This fact arises because he always ascribes omnipotent properties to idealized images.No matter how many ups and downs he encountered in his childhood, he, who thinks he is omnipotent, should always be able to overcome all obstacles.This exasperation reaches its climax when he now intellectually realizes that even he is incapable of attaining conflicting goals.That's why, as soon as he suddenly became aware of the conflict, he felt a piercing pain.

Anger with the ego is externalized in three main ways.When the patient expresses dissatisfaction without restraint, he vents his anger outside himself.In this way it becomes anger towards others; either in general anger, or in anger at specific faults in others, when in fact it is precisely because the patient hates himself for having that fault.An example may be more clear.A female patient complained that her husband was indecisive.But the matter involved was insignificant, and her rage was obviously not normal.Knowing that she was indecisive herself, I told her suggestively that her complaint betrayed her relentless condemnation of it in herself.Hearing my blunt words, she suddenly became madly angry, wishing she could tear herself into pieces.In fact, she is a strong and decisive person in her self-idealized image, so she has no tolerance for weakness in herself.Quite characteristically, this almost theatrical gesture of hers was completely forgotten the next time I spoke to me.For a moment she had caught a glimpse of her externalizing tendencies, but it was far from "returning to the shore" just yet.

The second externalized form of self-anger is manifested by the patient's constant conscious and unconscious fear, or the constant fear that he will anger others by a fault he cannot tolerate.The patient becomes so sure that a certain behavior of his will invite hostility that it really seems strange to him if there is no hostile reaction from others.For another example, the ideal of a certain patient is to be a good person.He was dismayed to discover that people liked him more when he was tough or angry than when he acted like a saint.We can easily guess from this idealized image of the self that the patient's main tendency is to submit.Submission arises from his desire to be close to others, and his tendency to submit is greatly enhanced by his anticipation of hostility.In fact, greater submission is one of the chief results of this externalization, and illustrates how neurotic tendencies are constantly reinforcing each other in a vicious circle.The obsessive obedience tendencies were intensified in this case because the idealized image of the saint actually compelled the patient to further self-erasure.The resulting hostile impulse naturally vents her anger on herself; and the externalization of her anger both increases her fear of others and in turn increases her submissive tendencies.

A third way anger is externalized is by focusing on physical discomfort.When the patient does not know that he is angry with himself, he only feels a considerable state of physical tension, which can manifest as gastrointestinal disturbances, headaches, and fatigue.However, as soon as he consciously felt this self-irritation, all these symptoms disappeared at once.This is also quite illustrative.One may even doubt whether to call these physiological manifestations externalizations or physiological consequences of repressed anger.But we cannot ignore the utilization of these manifestations by patients.Generally speaking, they can't wait to attribute mental illness to physical discomfort, and then think that the discomfort is caused by external causes.They always testify that there is nothing wrong with their minds, but a stomach disorder from a bad diet, or fatigue from overwork, or arthritis from damp air, and so on.

What do patients gain by externalizing their anger?It may be said to serve the same purpose as self-contempt.However, there is one point worth mentioning.Unless we recognize the real danger of these self-destructive impulses in the patient, we cannot fully understand how serious his condition can be.The patient in the first case just mentioned had the idea of ​​smashing himself only briefly, but the insane can actually go so far as to cut or maim himself.It is quite possible that many more suicides would have occurred if it were not for externalization.It is understandable, then, that Freud came up with the idea of ​​a death instinct because of his recognition of the energy of the self-destructive urge—a concept that, unfortunately, prevented him from truly understanding self-destructive behavior and thus hindering the search for effective treatment. way.

The intensity of inner oppression depends on the degree to which the authority of the idealized image clamps down on the patient's personality.The effects of this pressure cannot be overestimated.It is more terrifying than external pressure, because external pressure at least allows the patient to retain inner freedom.Most patients don't know this sense of oppression, but whenever this sense of oppression is eliminated, the patient feels relieved, as if regaining freedom, which shows the power of this oppression.Patients can externalize their own pressure by exerting pressure on others. This effect is very similar to the desire for dominance on the outside, but the difference between the two is that the externalization of inner pressure does not mainly require others to obey.It mainly consists in imposing on others the standards that make oneself miserable, regardless of whether it will make others miserable.That Puritan mentality is a well-known example. There is also an equally important form of externalization, manifested in the patient's hypersensitivity to anything in the external world that even remotely resembles a bondage.As all observers know, this hypersensitivity is common.This sensitivity does not stem entirely from self-imposed oppression.There is usually an element in which the patient sees in others his predilection for dominance and is jealous of it.In the solitary personality we first think of the patient's compulsive defense of his independence, which necessarily makes him sensitive to any external pressure.The externalization of the self-imposed constraints of the patient's own unconscious is a hidden and deeper cause which is often more easily overlooked by the analyst.This is especially unfortunate because the externalization of self-restraint often constitutes an influential undercurrent in the patient-physician relationship.Even when the doctor has analyzed the more obvious causes of his sensitivity, the patient may resist the doctor's advice.The destructive contest that takes place in this situation is all the more intense because the analyst really wants to change the patient, even though he honestly tells the patient that he only wants to help them to correct themselves, to discover their own. A wellspring of the heart, but such claims are useless.Is the patient subject to the occasional influence of the physician?In fact, since the patient does not know who he really is, he may not be able to judge what to accept and what to reject; although the doctor is careful not to impose his own ideas on the patient, it still does not help.Since the patient does not know that he is suffering from inner restraints to show certain symptoms, he can only indiscriminately oppose any external attempt to change him.Needless to say, the doctor's frustration is not only seen in the analysis process, as long as the self-imposed standards are tightly clamped on the patient, it will inevitably determine the doctor's failure to a certain extent.What finally defeated the haunting "ghost" was the analysis of the patient's inner activity process. To complicate matters, the more the patient submits to the exacting demands of his idealized image, the more he externalizes this submission.He will be eager to do what the analyst—or anyone else—expects from him, or what he thinks they expect from him.He'll act submissive and bully, but at the same time keep accumulating a resentment against "restraints," so that he'll eventually think everyone is in a position to dominate him, and resent everything. What good, then, does one gain by externalizing inner restraints?This is because, as long as he believes that the pressure comes from outside, he can rise up and resist, even if it is only an ideological reservation.Similarly, since we believe that restrictions are imposed from outside, we can try to avoid them and maintain an illusion of freedom.But what makes sense is the factor mentioned above: acknowledging inner constraints is tantamount to admitting that you are not that idealized image, which leads to a lot of trouble. Whether and to what extent this inner stress manifests itself in physical symptoms is a question.My personal impression is: it is related to asthma, high blood pressure, constipation, but I have very little experience in this area. What remains is the discussion of the various attributes externalized by the patient, which stand in stark contrast to the patient's idealized image.In general, the externalization of these properties takes place through projection.That is to say, patients feel that it is an attribute of others, or that they have this attribute because of others, and these two manifestations do not necessarily appear together.In the following examples we will have to repeat some things already mentioned, some of which are well known, but these examples will help us gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of projection. A certain A is a drinker and complains that his lover is not caring enough for him.As far as I know, this kind of complaint is untenable, at least the situation is not as serious as A thinks.A himself has a conflict that can be easily seen by an outsider: on the one hand, he is submissive, gentle, and generous; on the other hand, he is aggressive, bossy, and harsh.Thus, the phenomenon of projection of attacking tendency occurs.But why is his projection necessary?In his idealized image, aggressive tendencies are only a natural component of a strong personality, but the most prominent quality in this ideal image is kindness--he thinks that no one since St. Francis has been more powerful. Virtue, himself is the ideal friend of the second people.Is this projection intended to consolidate idealized images?of course.But this projection also ensures that he realizes his aggressive tendencies without having to be aware of them and thus avoid facing conflict.Here we see a man in a dilemma.He cannot renounce his aggressive tendencies, because they are compulsive, he cannot help them; but he cannot renounce his idealized imagery, because they safeguard him against disintegration.Projection is the way out of nowhere.This projection, then, represents an unconscious duality: it both guarantees his aggressive claims and maintains the necessary qualities of an ideal friend. The patient also suspected that his lover was being unfaithful to him.It was an unfounded suspicion—her love for him was almost maternal.In fact, he himself has a hobby of adultery, but he keeps it secret.Here, we can think that because he judges others by himself, he has a fear of revenge, so he must find a way to justify himself.Even if we take into account a possible homosexual orientation, it is not helpful to explain the problem.The clue to the problem is also his attitude towards his infidelity.His own affair was not forgotten, it just didn't exist on the surface of consciousness.Those experiences are no longer living impressions, on the contrary, the infidelity of his mistress is engraved in his heart.What happens here is the externalization of his own experience, and its effect is the same as that of the previous example, which enables him to maintain an idealized image and do whatever he wants. Political groups and power struggles between various industries and industries can serve as a second example.Intrigue often stems from a conscious attempt to weaken the opponent and strengthen oneself, but it may also arise from an unconscious dilemma similar to the one mentioned above.If this is the case, then this scramble for dominance is an expression of the unconscious duality that allows us to employ intrigue in the struggle without tainting our idealized images.And at the same time it gives us a wonderful means of pouring out our own annoyance and contempt on others, and, more satisfactorily, on the very opponent we want to defeat first. As a generalization, I would like to point out one of the more common ways by which our own responsibility is passed onto others.Although other people don't have our faults.Many patients, once induced by their doctors to realize their problems, immediately and without thinking about the source of the problems attributed to childhood.They will say that they are sensitive to restraint now because their mother was bossy back then; they are easily humiliated now because they were humiliated as children; , because they were seldom understood when they were young; their cautious attitude towards sex is because they were raised by Puritans, and so on.What I am pointing out here is not the kind of doctor who works together with the patient and seriously considers the various influences of the patient's childhood, but the kind of analysis that is too focused on the influence of childhood.The result of this kind of concentration is that nothing can be achieved, only a cycle of standing still, and a lack of interest in exploring the various factors currently acting on the patient. Since Freud's overemphasis on heredity supports this view of the patient, we should examine carefully the proportion of truth to falsity.It is true that the patient's neurotic tendencies began in childhood, and all the clues he could furnish concerned his understanding of the tendencies that had taken place.It is also true that he cannot be responsible for his neuroses.The influence of objective conditions determined that he developed that tendency involuntarily.For various reasons (discussed below), physicians should explain these conditions to patients. The fallacy of the patient's view lies in the fact that those factors which he had gradually formed in him in childhood, which he had no intention of intervening, are now acting on him and causing his present symptoms.For example, the abundance of hypocrisy he saw as a child may be one of the reasons for his current cynicism.But if he thinks that's the only reason, he's ignoring his present need - to ridicule others.This need originated from his dilemma between different ideals. In order to resolve this conflict, he simply abandoned all values.In addition, he wants to take responsibility when he cannot be responsible, and refuses to be responsible when he should be responsible.He kept going back to his childhood experiences just to convince himself that his setbacks were beyond his control.At the same time he felt that, in spite of the harmful influences he had suffered, his personality could have remained intact, like a lily that emerges from the mud unstained.His idealized self-image was partly responsible for this, and it was this idealization which prevented him from thinking that he had or still has deficiencies or conflicts.But more importantly, the repeated thoughts about childhood are just an illusion of diligent self-examination.But because he has externalized his problems, he naturally does not feel the various factors at work inside; thus, he cannot see himself as the active agent in his own life.Now that he is no longer the propeller, it is a ball rolling down the hillside and only rolling down, or a South American guinea pig used as an experiment. Once limited, it is determined forever. The patient's one-sided emphasis on childhood clearly shows his tendency towards externalization.So whenever I come across this attitude, I know that the patient is completely alienated from himself and continues to be driven away from himself.I have never made a mistake in this judgment. Externalizing tendencies also appear in dreams.If the patient dreams that his analyst is a prison guard, or that his husband closes the door he wants to enter, or that there are always accidents or obstacles in the pursuit of a certain goal, Then these dreams are an attempt by the patient to deny the inner conflict and attribute it to some external cause. Patients who have a widespread tendency to externalize present special difficulties for the analyst.He seeks out the analyst as he seeks out the dentist, thinking that he is asking the doctor to perform a task which has no real relation to him.A patient may be interested in the neuroses of his wife, friend, brother, but not in himself.He can talk about the difficult situations he has been through without examining how he behaved in them.If his wife hadn't been so neurotic or if his own job hadn't been so problematic, he would have thought everything was normal.For a long time he will be completely unaware that emotional factors may be working on his heart.He was afraid of ghosts, thieves, thunder and lightning, vengeful people around him, and changes in the political situation, but he was never afraid of himself.At most, he thinks that his questions can provide him with some intellectual or artistic pleasure, so he has a little interest in them.But we can say that as long as he does not exist spiritually, he cannot apply any insights he has gained to his actual life.Therefore, although he knows himself better than others know him, it cannot change him. Externalization, therefore, is essentially an active process of self-destruction.It is made possible by the patient's alienation from the self, which is inherent in neurosis.As the ego is annihilated, a natural consequence is that inner conflicts are also driven out of consciousness.Externalization makes patients blame others more, revenge others, and fear others, so that external conflicts replace inner conflicts.This is especially so because externalization greatly intensifies the conflict that first caused the neurosis, the conflict between man and the external world.