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III. Bgab. Transformation of the Self in Self Psychology From the point of view of Self psychology, the self as a core of personality, is developmentally established, preserved and transformed in the context of selfobjects, defined as others who are experienced as part of the self and who serve essential functions for the self (Auchincloss and Samberg 2012). In the clinical context, this was thought to be accomplished through the process of ‘ transmuting internalization’ , through which the patient becomes able to take over the selfobject functions previously provided by the analyst (Kohut 1971). More recently, Socarides and Stolorow (1984) elaborated on the developmental transformation of affectivity within the frame of Self Psychology, highlighting the use of affects as self-signals, and on the primary role of selfobject transference bond as the central developmentally transformative agent, questioning the importance of the ‘optimal frustration’ leading to ‘transmuting internalization’. III. Bh. Hybrid Model: Transformation Subsystems and Transformational Function in The Bi-Personal Field of Robert Langs Drawing on contributions of Post-Kleinian Object Relations theories, especially Bion, Winnicott, Racker, Grinberg and Bleger, added to by Freud, Stone, Greenson and Gill, Searles and Green, prominently inspired by Barangers (1961-62, 1966, 1969, 2008) conceptualization of Psychoanalytic Situation as a Dynamic bipersonal Field, Langs (1976) constructs an elaborate model of the Communicative bipersonal Field, with specific articulation of transformative properties, specially within the realm of his B and C type fields. Modifying Freud’s Topographic Theory of the Unconscious, Preconscious and Conscious systems, which in Langs’ model become ‘Deep Unconscious’, ‘Superficial Unconscious’ and ‘Conscious’ systems, in conjunction with Signal theory of anxiety, Langs stresses the unconscious perception rather than unconscious fantasies and conflicts. Triggering anxiety signals, emotionally laden perceptions are visually encoded and stored in the Deep Unconscious system, according to the laws of primary process. Transformation subsystems operate between the Deep Unconscious and Conscious systems, effecting first the visual encoding of elements of emotionally intense and intolerable unconscious percepts and their storage in the Deep Unconscious. Their transformation and access to the conscious mind are facilitated by the analyst’s interpretative here-and-now interactively affectively tuned messages. Therapist’s transformative interpretive action is progressively introjected by the patient as a transformational function, through complicated working through process. Because the most emotionally intense unconsciously transmitted and encoded messages inevitably involve elements of primitive death anxiety and projections of death images, both analyst and patient may be affected by them and the transformation processes of both can become mutually impeded in a repetitive mutually enforcing transference-countertransference-resistance cycle within the bi-personal field without clearly delineated boundaries. In this context, Langs also describes how particular dysfunction of the transformation subsystems and lack of activation of transformative function may result in psychotic symptoms of hallucinations and delusions.
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