The Depressive Personality as Psychological Katabasis – Admissions Webinar

The depressive personality is described in psychoanalysis as a defensive style characterized by introjection, guilt, and a tendency toward intrapunitive self-experience . It is organized around an inward turning of affect, especially in response to loss and anger, leading to self-reproach, conflict avoidance, and idealization of others alongside devaluation of the self.  As such, it is probably the most common personality style among psychotherapists. At a depth psychological perspective, the Depressive Personality is motivated by a poignant relational paradox: the introjection of darkness serves the preservation of love: the individual takes in blame or badness in order to maintain connection to the object . Thus, the Fourth Quadrant reflects a personality structure that is fundamentally capable of warmth and attachment, yet burdened by a profound sense of insufficiency, loss, and moral weight. This brief talk will explore the depressive style as katabisis: a journey inwards towards the psychological underworld, and its redemptive promise.