The Final Step to Maturity

Abstract

The complexities of human psychological development are such that any given individual manifests varying admixtures of healthy and pathological forces. The interweaving of a multiplicity of influences shapes the personality, until an overall predominant mode of adapting and responding to stimuli emerges. In the preceding chapters, the central focus has been on illuminating those ingredients that, when continuously present, eventuate in a healthy functioning human being. An attempt has been made to integrate the insights of instinctual theory, object relations theory, and a psychology of the self from an ego psychological point of view, by emphasizing the role of perception. The foundation for continuing the progression of healthy development, throughout the life cycle, depends upon the formation of a genitally organized character structure.