Impulse versus Control: Control Mechanisms

The Nature of Control Mechanisms

By: Henry Kellerman and Anthony Burry

The discussion centered around the experience of the impulse, its expression in fantasy or rumination, its appearance as indirect covert behavior, and finally, its appearance in overt acting out. In addition, the influence of impulses on cognition, perception, judgment, and learning is explored.

Control features of the personality that are emphasized included cognitive and ego controls, defense mechanisms and character traits, fantasy, somatization, and fear. The nature of maturation is considered with respect to acting-out, constricted, or adaptive functioning.

Impulse Versus Control: Nature of control mechanisms.

• Control mechanisms are derived from ego and superego functions.

• Controls include cognitive, intellectual, ego, superego, individual defense mechanisms, character or personality traits, fantasy, and phobic reactions.

The types of controls are:

Cognitive Controls. Concentration, attention, and consistent functioning are seen. Intellectual functioning is aligned with strivings and goals. Anxiety is well managed. The achievement drive is also consistent with the ability to implement goal-directed behavior. Cognitive control is usually seen in terms of specific intellectual functions and capacities.

Ego Controls. Integrative and control functions of the ego reflect goal orientation, a capacity to tolerate frustration, and an ability to implement activity toward goals.

Defense Mechanisms. Defense mechanisms are designed to manage, regulate, or control specific transitory emotions including anxiety. Anxiety can signal the poor or insecure control of a specific emotion. Knowledge of the specific emotion associated with the anxiety clarifies the use of defenses as an aspect of control. The emotion in question usually relates to another person and to sexuality, affectional needs, dependency, loss, fear, and especially anger.

Character or Personality Traits.

These are enduring patterns of control or patterns of behavior. These characteristics may be separated into configurations of active traits versus those that can be considered passive traits. In compulsive characterology, active patterns are seen, while in passive characterology, passive patterns appear. Both types serve to control anxiety. Successful control would consist of character patterns that bind anxiety in a sustained, sufficient way. Such character patterns can be construed according to the following trait clusters:

– Sublimating traits involving the superego dimension include conscientiousness, studiousness, industriousness, and responsibility. Sublimating traits reflect greater maturation.

– Impulse traits involving the id dimension include aggression, impetuousness, and need for immediate gratification. Impulse traits reflect inadequate maturation.

– Pleasure-dominated traits include hedonism, magical thinking, need for immediate gratification, sociability, gregariousness, cordiality, seductiveness, and optimism.

– Anger-dominated traits include aggressive and passive behavior, hostility, oppositionalism, defiance, stubbornness, quarrelsomeness, sullenness, and belligerence.

– Fear-dominated traits include caution, phobic reactions, shame, self-consciousness, timidity, pessimism, and obedience.

– Dependency-dominated traits include deference, dependency, and need for affection.

Fantasy as Control. Mediates between feelings and behavior and involves thinking instead of behaving. Control occurs through compensatory and grandiose feelings generated by fantasy. Success in fantasy neutralizes anxiety related to doubts regarding actually performing. Overuse of fantasy implies a passive or schizoid orientation.

Fear as Control. Appearance of phobias to control panic. A phobia is presumably a displacement of anxiety related to expression of anger or sexuality that is actually targeted toward another person.

• An impulse-dominated personality relates to immature development:

Impulse-dominated protocol may contain high animal movement and color-dominated Rorschach determinants with a lower form percentage and fewer human movement responses. Graphic material may show poor line quality. Fantasy in TAT stories can include magical wishes for attainment of goals in the absence of instrumental activity toward such goals. The intelligence test may show lowered verbal skills and higher performance scores. A trial-and-error approach is likely while delay is poor.

• A control-dominated personality may reflect more mature development but as controls become more extensive and rigid, an inhibited pathology results.

Control-dominated protocol emphasizing inhibition reflects signs of great inertia. There is an absence of impulse signs on projective material, a restricted range of determinants, and a focus on form. Good line quality is seen on graphic material. TAT stories may lack affect and activity. Verbal scores on the intelligence test are often higher than performance scores. Compulsive,
obsessive, and passive dispositions can be included here.

References

Henry Kellerman and Anthony Burry, Handbook of Psychodiagnostic Testing, Fourth Edition, 2007, Springer ScienceBusiness Media, LLC.

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Conflict Stages and Derivative Behaviors