Characterological Formation

The idea that character develops in response to fundamental developmental and existential needs is the premise of the seminal work of Stephen Johnson in his (1994) book Character Styles. He presents a multidimensional, developmental diagnostic framework which clinicians can use for treatment planning with particular client presentations. Early developmental needs for attachment, recognition, protection, autonomy and a secure sense of self, which are consistently unmet, distorted or threatened within important relationships, are all contributing factors in the ways a child adapts that help them survive psychologically. These adaptations may become organised into enduring patterns of relating, feeling and behaving. What can appear in adulthood as a personality disorder or problematic behaviour can therefore be understood as an attempt to manage earlier relational experiences.

Johnson places particular emphasis on the relationship between the developing child and their environment. Character is not seen as something that exists solely inside the individual. Instead, it emerges through the interaction between the child’s temperament, developmental needs and the responses of significant others. This makes his approach particularly relevant to relational psychotherapy because it supports the position we hold as therapists which does not simply ask, “What is wrong with this person?” but “What happened in this person’s development that made this way of being necessary?”

This is a workshop series set across seven sepearate days in which we will work through Johnson's model covering each developmental stage. Each workshop is presented as a stage in a child's life. Along with this workshop is a reading list consisting of three short books, each one a novel, corresponding with a significant developmental stage. These are meant as an aide memoire for the model we will be learning. If access to these books is difficult, I provide a working synopsis in the course material, and will be reading to you from them during each workshop. Workshops are as follows:

Day One - 17 October
The hated child, associated with the schizoid experience, develops in the context of profound difficulties around attachment and the experience of being unwanted or rejected. Withdrawal and emotional detachment can become ways of protecting the self from further interpersonal injury.

Day Two - 14 November
The abandoned child, associated with symbiotic withdrawal, experiences relationships as unreliable or potentially lost. The person may simultaneously long for connection and fear dependence, resulting in difficulties with separation, autonomy and intimacy.

Day Three - 12 December
The owned child, associated with the symbiotic character, develops when the child’s individuality and separateness are insufficiently recognised. The child may become organised around another person’s needs and expectations, with difficulties developing an autonomous sense of self.

Day Four - 16 January
The used child, associated with narcissistic experience, develops when the child is valued primarily for what they provide to the parent or family rather than being recognised as a separate person. Achievement, admiration and control may subsequently become important ways of maintaining self-esteem.

Day Five - 13 February
The defeated child, associated with social masochism and patterns of self-defeat, develops around experiences in which the child learns that their own needs, wishes or attempts at agency are likely to result in defeat, rejection or conflict. Giving up, submitting or repeatedly creating situations in which they lose can paradoxically provide a familiar and psychologically organised way of managing relationships.

Day Six - 13 March
The exploited child, associated with hysterical defences and the histrionic personality, develops around relational experiences in which emotional expression, sexuality or dramatic interpersonal behaviour may become important means of obtaining attention, connection or security.

Day Seven - 17 April
Finally, the disciplined child, associated with obsessive-compulsive personality patterns, develops in an environment where control, order, compliance and achievement are heavily valued. Managing feelings and impulses through control can become a way of maintaining safety and avoiding criticism or rejection