John Frosch offers a rich clarification of what he calls the psychotic process. Of particular value is his clear delineation of the central process underlying all psychotic manifestations. He underlines the common denominators uniting the psychoses and, in doing so, sheds new light on the underlying features of the diverse clinical manifestations. Frosch begins by examining how the concept of the psychotic process has evolved psychodynamically and what the present status of thinking is in this area. He pays particular attention to the ramifications of Freud's ideas on later psychoanalytic thinking. A major contribution is his delineation of three frames of reference for distinguishing the psychotic from the neurotic process. Specifically, he looks at the nature of the dan-ger and conflict, the techniques used to cope with this danger and conflict, and the unique ego and ego function impairments. In Frosch's opinion, the basic anxiety deriving from fear of dissolution and disintegration of self is crucial in understanding the danger in the psychotic process. Various mechanisms are used to deal with this danger, such as fragmentation, splitting, denial, introjection, projection, and projective identification. One finds ego fragility and blurring of ego boundaries, with defects in the ego functions involved in the relationship with reality and the sense of reality. … (Verlagstext) // INHALT : Preface Prologue ---- PART I BACKGROUND CONSIDERATIONS ---- Terminology, Methodology, and Nosology ---- Early Historical Background ---- PART II ---- THE IMPACT OF DEVELOPING PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORIES ---- The Topographic Model of the Mind ---- A. Dreams and Psychosis ---- B. Schizophrenic Language ---- The Libido Theory ---- A. The Role of Unconscious Homosexuality ---- in the Paranoid Constellation ---- B. Withdrawal and Restitution ---- C. Projection and Delusional Fixity ---- D. Hypochondriasis ---- The Dual Instinct Theory ---- A. Contributions on Hostility and Aggression ---- B. The Psychotic Affective Disorders ---- The Structural Model of the Mind ---- PART III THE PSYCHOTIC PROCESS ---- The Nature of the Danger and the Conflict ---- The Nature of Defense ---- A. Splitting and Fragmentation ---- B. Denial