The Resolution of the Oedipal Conflict

Abstract

Internal diaglogue is an an almost universal phenomenon that takes different forms and is given different names. Depending upon the circumstances and the internal makeup of the individual, it may be referred to as talking to oneself, praying, intrusive ideation, or as a hallucinatory experience. It involves an act of internal communication, with one inner entity engaged with another. There may be unity and harmony between these communicating entities; there may be conflict and opposition; or one may be split off from the other. This phenomenon appears to reflect the focused perceptual activity of the system ego (the eye of consciousness) engaged with the focused perceptual activity associated with the superego (the superego eye). The interrelationship between these two focused areas of perceptual activity, operating in different sectors of the personality, indicates the level of psychic organization that has been attained.