paranoid-schizoid position

in the object relations theory of Melanie Klein, the period from birth to the 6th month of life during which infants perceive the world in terms of part-objects and develop a fear of annihilation and persecutory anxiety due to the power of their death instinct. Infants use various primitive defense mechanisms against these fears, including (a) the projection of aggression onto an external object; (b) directing their own aggression against the imagined persecutory object; and (c) introjection and splitting of the breast into a good object and a bad object (see bad breast; good breast). The paranoid-schizoid position is a lifelong possibility, manifested in later life by an inability to accept that anyone can be both bad and good and certain pathologies (e.g., paranoia, psychosis) that are believed to be marked by a chronic tendency to be stuck in this position. Compare depressive position.

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Psychology term of the day

January 19th 2025

novelty seeking

1. a personality trait characterized by a strong interest in having new experiences; it is often associated with risk-taking behavior, and hence the term may be used synonymously with sensation seeking. It is also increasingly the preferred term for neophilia.

2. see Cloninger’s psychobiological model of personality; Temperament and Character Inventory.