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The appearance of “thoughts” forces the creation of an apparatus to deal with them. Two foundational mechanisms conjugate for such, namely the Container-Contained (♀♂) and the dynamic relationship between the paranoid-schizoid and depressive position (PS « D). This occurs through an inversion of the symbols (♂-♀ and not ♀-♂), in other words, a projective identification. The Container-Contained model also deals with the evolution of thought, as a factor in positive (+K) or negative growth (-K). Considering mental growth, in this relationship, ♂ and ♀ are reciprocally dependent with mutual benefit and with no harm to either party, characterizing what Bion would name, in 1962, a commensal link. In terms of a model, the mother and the child benefit when it comes to mental growth (Lopez-Corvo, 2002). The child introjects this activity between the dyad in such a way that /♀ ♂ Container/Contained relationship is installed within herself, allowing the development of a function which will encourage the personality to become increasingly complex and creative in order to tackle the mental questions that will arise throughout the lifetime. Elliott Jaques’ (1960) ‘integrative reticulum’ is used by Bion to put together a model in which “the gaps are sleeves and the threads forming the meshes of the reticulum are emotions” (Bion, 1962, p. 92). The reticulum also receives growing ♂ “contents” through a process that necessarily includes a degree of tolerance of the unknown [the forming sleeves are still waiting for the contents]. On the other hand, learning depends on the ♀ capacity to stay integrated while expanding the degree of elasticity, much like a womb that expands to accommodate fetus’ growth (Sandler, 2005b). In a review of the concept in “Attention and Interpretation” (1970), Bion leaves aside the former formulation (Bion, 1962) of the links between Container and Contained (love, hate and knowledge) and proposes a new approach that stresses the relationship between Container and Contained. The three types of links are now characterized as commensal, symbiotic and parasitic . By commensal he means a relationship in which two objects share a third to the advantage of all three, for example fundamentals of the culture to which container and contained belong. By symbiotic he understands a relationship in which one depends on another to mutual advantage. In this kind of relationship, one party uses projective identification as communication, and the container transforms this into a new meaning for both. By parasitic he means a relationship in which one depends on another to produce a third which is destructive of all three. In such a case the projective identification is explosive and destructive of the container. The Container also is destructive of the content. The Container denudes the Contained of its quality of penetration, and the content denudes the Container of its receptive quality (Bion, 1970, p 95). The destructive link implies the failure of the Container/Contained: developmentally, when the baby has a disposition of a too strong aggressiveness or envy or when his/her tolerance against anxiety and fear in a frustrating experience is low, there are times when the mother cannot encourage growth well even if she has an ordinary Container function. The correspondences and actions the mother returns are not sufficient for the baby to alleviate the anxiety and fear and it becomes difficult for the baby to introject her containing function and
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