The Cathexis Model Symbiosis, Discounting,

Redefining, Grandiosity & Passivity Objectives

To understand and critically evaluate the cathexis model of TA. To understand and critically evaluate the discount matrix.

To critically evaluate the theoretical concept of the cathexis approach in clinical practice.

Articles

Mellor, K & Schiff, E. (1975) Discounting, Transactional Analysis Journal, 5:3

Mellor, K & Schiff, E. (1975) Redefining, Transactional Analysis Journal, 5:3

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The Cathexis Model Devised by the Schiffs in the 60’s in their work with psychosis and schizophrenia. • Symbiosis • Redefining • Discounting • Passivity • Grandiosity

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SymbiosisSymbiosis from an ego state perspective occurs when two or

more individuals behave as though between them they form a single person.

Oral stage of development & outside of awareness Survival – Primary relationship is initially very close. The aim is

for the maturing youngster to experience eventual autonomy.

Every symbiosis is an attempt to get developmental needs

met (from childhood)

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Schiffs - Healthy SymbiosisHealthy Symbiosis - A natural occurrence between

parents/caretakers and children. It is experienced by both mother and child as merging or sharing of their needs.

The Parent in response to the developing infant stays

aware of his / her own Child needs and attends to these whilst nursing the child.

The child’s needs are heard and met without the parent

discounting their own needs. o  This is more likely to happen if the parent has had their

own needs met. (i.e. in their original care, by their partners or themselves).

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Woollams & Brown - Symbiosis

Call the relationship between the primary parent and the infant ‘normal dependency’.

i.e. Baby cries mother wakes / lactates

Normal dependency ends when child has matured enough to function independently. Neither Parent nor child needs to discount an ego state during this process.

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Pathology•  Occurs when a disturbance in the symbiosis is experienced

o  Separation / unresponsiveness o  Over protection o  Child inadequately prepared to function independently

•  Games develop out of unresolved symbiotic relationships and

represent a reenactment of the symbiotic relationship to get unmet needs met. Moves of the game are learnt in original symbiotic relationship

•  Transactions are structured to avoid a direct child – child

response.

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Symbiotic Relationships First Order

A pathological symbiotic relationship is characterized by neither individual cathecting a full compliment of ego states. The mechanism used to maintain it is discounting.

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Second Order SymbiosisMother fails to meet the needs of her own Child ego state. May be over sensitive to the needs of the child and take responsibility for the child’s thinking rather than teach and allow the child to take care of themselves. If the mother has not had her own child needs met she may do this through the child and the child learns to take on the caretaker role within the symbiosis and ignore their own needs.    

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Discounting •  Occurs outside of awareness

The functional manifestation of a contamination or exclusion •  An internal mechanism by which people minimize, ignore or maximize an aspect

of reality, themselves, others or the reality of the situation”. Schiff et al ‘The Cathexis Reader’

•  Involves thinking which is inconsistent or distorts reality.

In structural terms the ego states involved will be either Parent or Child.

•  Games and Rackets start with and are maintained by discounts. If you stop the discount, you stop the Game or the Racket!

•  All discounting is justified by grandiosity.

“Smoking will not harm me!! – discounts the impact of smoking, and can be justified by thinking that I am so fit I don’t get ill.”

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Manifestations of Discounting

•  An internal process, discounts are only ‘seen’ as it were by their external manifestations. These are:

•  Ulterior transactions. •  Redefining transactions where the reply does not

match the stimulus. What time is it? > It is snowing. •  Passive behaviours. These may have much energy

involved, but they are passive in the sense that they will never solve the problem.

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Discou

ntM

atrix

RedrawnbyRobvanTol,2011.TAStudent

FromStewart&Joines,TAToday(1987)p.182

MODE TYPE

EXISTENCE Stimuli Problems Options

SIGNIFICANCE Significance of stimuli

Significance of problems

Significance of options

CHANGE POSSIBILITIES

Changeability of stimuli

Solvability of problems

Viability of options

PERSONAL ABILITIES

Person’s ability to

react differently

Person’s ability to solve problems

Person’s ability to act on options

T1 T2 T3

T2 T3 T4

T3 T4 T5

T4 T5 T6

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Grandiosity•  The purposeful act of exaggerating about self, others or the

environment in order to maintain the passivity.

•  When using grandiosity we take no responsibility for the decisions involved in a situation and we make the situation responsible for the behaviour. (always / never)

•  A distortion of reality (Delusion) •  Compensates feelings of inadequacy & prevents establishment of

goals which prevents achievement or failure. •  Thinking behind grandiosity includes delusions •  i.e. I can’t stand it!! •  I was petrified with fright!! •  I couldn’t help it

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Redefining•  Refers to the mechanism people use to maintain

their established view of themselves, other people and the world in order to advance their script.

•  The means by which people defend themselves

against stimuli which are inconsistent with their frames of reference and redefine the stimuli to fit into their frame of reference

•  Occur whenever someone discounts some aspect of a communication, and shifts the issue. The shift may be obvious or subtle, and may come from any ego state.

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SchiffsThere are several generalizations about redefinition.

•  When people redefine their behaviour is gamey or scripty •  When people are not redefining but act and react to stimuli as they are in

reality, they are likely to be perceiving, thinking, feeling and acting autonomously.

•  Redefining is used with the 4 passive behaviours to confirm or enforce the

type of symbiotic relationship a person requires to advance his or her script.

•  When people redefine, their options are limited by the structure of the

symbiotic relationships their redefining and behaviour establishes;

•  When not redefining people can determine and act on their own options without these restrictions.

•  Redefinitions are common therapeutically because therapy threatens the persons frame of reference.

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Redefining transactionsTangential transactions •  Occur when a person addresses different issues or

different aspects of the same issue.

•  This would be witnessed as two people talking past each other rather than communicating with each other.

Blocking Transactions •  Child: Do you love me mummy? •  Mum: What is love? Definition of love.

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Why redefine? •  Distort the stimulus so that it fits into frame of

reference.(tangential transaction) •  Disallow the stimulus altogether by blocking it’s

intended meaning.(blocking transaction)

•  To establish a symbiosis that reinforces our frame of reference.

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AimConfronting a person’s redefinitions will invite them to explore and hopefully disclose their frame of reference. Successful confrontation occurs when the client becomes aware of their redefinitions and frame of reference and become motivated to change them. If redefining is not confronted, the original issue gets lost and a symbiosis is established.

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PassivityThe act of putting something off / not doing it

• The Schiffs (1971) defined discounting as:

“the person who discounts believes, or acts as though he believes, that his feelings about what someone else has said, done or felt are more significant that what that person actually said, did or felt. He does not use information relevant to the situation.”

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A few points about passivity

•  Can be a minor part of the problem or the root cause

•  Stops an individual achieving their full potential (Physis)

•  Keeps us attached to our script beliefs/fears

•  Discounting and grandiosity maintain passivity

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4 Passive Behaviours

•  1. Doing nothing. •  2. Over adaptation. •  3. Agitation. •  4. Violence towards self or others.

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The Purpose of Passivity!

•  Is to maintain symbiosis / non- functioning ego states, which would challenge dependency.

•  When passivity breaks down, there may be a

competition for the dependent child position in the symbiosis (survival)

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What is the reason?It is important to identify reason behind discount!

Investment in games Don’t have the relevant - Furthering Script information / experience

to determine significance

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Doing Nothing!

•  Energy utilized in inhibiting responses •  Child = Executive state.

contamination is motivated by attempt to maintain symbiosis i.e. I can’t think/cope anymore/ too scared

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Over Adaptation•  Most difficult to identify & most adaptive to a

situation. Most thinking occurs. •  Individual does not identify own goal but attempts

to fulfil perceived goal of another. •  Grandiosity applied – neither achieves or fails.

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Agitation•  Occurs between stages over adaptation and

violence (incapacitation)  •  Repetitive activities purposeless or non-goal

directed  •  Agitated individual is uncomfortable and thinking is

confused  •  Tries frantically to defend symbiosis against threat. •  Could solve problem but feels inadequate. •  Pacing the floor – Recommend “sit down and think

about it” (restore over adaptation) otherwise energy builds up and risk of violence

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Incapacitation / Violence

•  Occurs in the discharge of energy built up from passivity.

•  An attempt to enforce symbiosis •  No thinking can be identified. •  Do not accept responsibility for behavior •  After discharge of energy – Adult recathected and

position on drama triangle changes

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