Developmental Trauma, Schizoid Disorder And A Book From 1967

[Dana1010]

I found this book called The Betrayal of the Body by a psychoanalyst named Alexander Lowen published in 1967. I am interested in somatic theories of emotional illness and healing, so I thought I'd skim through it.

I was engrossed by the book's analysis of how childhood experiences cause people to shut down their bodies, libidos and the pleasure principal. Lowen says that in the face of parental hostility, children freeze the part of themselves that wants physical affection to avoid further hostility or abandonment.

Lowen's own term for this state of being "frozen" on the body level is "schizoid." The similarities to PTSD really struck me.

Is "schizoid" an archaic term for developmental trauma? Is there a meaningful difference?

 

[Friday]

Nope! Schizoid is a modern term, to the point that it's a symptom grouping (schizoid tendencies) in some disorders, as well as having it's very own Cluster A Personality Disorder (Schizoid Personality Disorder 301.20 F60.1 DSM5). It is one of the many many many possible ways people can react to developmental trauma, however. People often think trauma = PTSD, but the reality is trauma = many possible disorders or none. PTSD is just one option. Schizoid is another. Symptom overlap between the two? Of course. All disorders have symptom overlap. Some more than others.

A psych book from the 1960s is archaic, though & makes me shudder. Similar to reading surgical manuals from the 1860's US Civil War. Fascinating, yet horrifying.

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ETA : I cannot attest to the veracity of the article, as this isn't an area I study, but if you're interested it's a place to start off Schizoid Personality Disorder DSM-5 301.20 (F60.1) - Therapedia

 

[Dana1010]

A psych book from the 1960s is archaic, though & makes me shudder. Similar to reading surgical manuals from the 1860's US Civil War. Fascinating, yet horrifying.

I have to disagree here. This book has been more helpful and elucidating to me than all of the therapists I've seen combined. The Freudian principals dealing with the libido, the id, the ego, and the Oedipal situation that Lowen continually refers to triggered Eureka moments.

Modern psychotherapy seems to have moved away from Freud, particularly his focus on libido, and I have to say that we are all worse off for this. They like paint-by-numbers, I guess, and Freudian theories are too complex for most of the dolts that psych departments turn out anyway. That's my theory.

 

[joeylittle]

Is "schizoid" an archaic term for developmental trauma? Is there a meaningful difference?

Schizoid in psychology terms came into use early in the 20th century, in order to describe someone who preferred to focus on their inner world, in order to protect themselves from the outer world. It's not unlike being introverted - but moreso. It wasn't meant to describe a pathology. In other words, it wasn't a disorder.

Schizoid 'types' emerged in the late 1920s, still not considered disorders, and then eventually morphed into various pathologies (diagnosable disorders) in the DSMIII (1980, I think).

The author you are reading was likely using schizoid in that early connotation - a separation of inside from outside. He also could have been using it as a non-psych term, for 'disjointed'.