Self-criticism and the psychic surface

It is postulated that the surface of the mind reflects a variety of shiftin g self-syntonic and self-dystonic contents striving to achieve a stable hom eostatic balance. Shifts between self-syntonic and self-dystonic contents a re seen to reflect an underlying intrasystemic conflict within the superego between conflicting superego injunctions. These shifts possess a cyclical quality. as self-syntonic contents become self-dystonic and as self-dystoni c contents become self-syntonic. This conceptualization of the psychic surf ace has implications for a comparative study of psychoanalytic technique an d for implementing the technical recommendation to work from surface to dep th. It is suggested that the analyst's interpretations become assimilated w ithin cyclical processes of superego reaction and repair.