The Divided Self

R.D. Laing was an existential psychiatrist who suffered from schizophrenia for some time. R.D. Laing wrote The Divided Self when he was 28 years old. He worked at Tavistock clinic with Winnicott in North London for a while which was a psychoanalytic centre and came into contact with psychoanalytic theory. He looked at schizoid and schizophrenics from an existential point of view and his goal of this book was to make madness understandable. Laing had a great significance for schizophrenia and wanted people to understand the world a schizophrenic. Laing criticized Freud's theory of psychoanalysis because he thought that the theory was doubtful, as Freud would find an explanation for treating psychosis whereas Laing’s work was to understand and
He believed that ontological insecurity was crucial for schizoid and schizophrenic experiences and was caused by abnormal family relationships. R.D. Laing suggests that an ‘ontological insecure' person will encounter all the hazards of life, social, ethical, spiritual, biological from people's reality and identity.' (Pg. 39). He also looked at how an insecure ontological person will experience anxiety by describing three forms: engulfment, implosion, and petrification.' (Page 49). This part of the book suggests that when a mother and child don’t have a well-built relationship, the child will grow up thinking that it was never recognized or seen by the mother, hence why the child will feel isolated and worthless because he/she feels as though is not noticed by others. R.D. Laing provided an interesting case study to support the three forms, through the Mrs R. case study. She suffered from Agoraphobia. Mrs R feared to be alone. ‘She was like tinker bell. In order to exist she needed someone else to believe in her existence.' (pg.
She suffered from schizophrenia for nine years and was treated with a course of insulin. He described Julie in a very interesting manner by saying ‘she was hallucinating, given to posturing, to stereotyped, bizarre, incomprehensible actions. She was mostly mute and when she did speak, it was the most ‘deteriorated' ‘schizophrenese.' (pg. 178). After interviewing Julie’s family he came up with the good-mad-bad phrase. Julie was good and a healthy child when she was born. She then became bad when she was naughty which caused distress to her family and later she became completely mad. Julie renamed herself to Mrs Taylor ash she felt she was ‘tailor made’ by her mother, as her mother never wanted her. The most distressing part of this case study is that Julie felt that she no one in the world to support her and understand her point of view. Laing worked with Julie for some time and built a strong relationship with her. However, it could be argued that Laing building a strong relationship with Julie could be seen as bad practice because it would be as though he is going beyond the boundary of research through building such a close relationship with his