7.1 Zones of adaptation and defence.
Residents of old cities are familiar with the remains of ancient fortifications: an irregular wall, traces of a moat, or a canal partly filled in to make a park or a playground, unexpected rises hiding ancient foundations. In the past the walls did have a vital function, in the present day they have been degraded into annoying obstacles, though sometimes with picturesque features. People, young and old, are in some ways like an historic city. They carry in their personalities the remains of defence-works, sometimes picturesque, not seldom disturbing. When a young person at some moment in his past has felt that his identity was being violated, he may have isolated the threatened part of himself by a protective wall. When, as a child, he constructed that wall he badly needed it, to prevent being fatally injured. But by its simple existence that wall has modified his later development. The early experiences of the body remain encoded in layers, that influence posture and gestures. When the accompanying mental memories, especially when they have been painful, are later retrieved, they will be relived accompanied by strong physical sensations. This happens in autobiographical writing, as stated by the Turkish-German authoress Özdamar in an interview. Also in psychotherapy, as mentioned by the Dutch psychotherapist J. de Vries (1998) painful memories are remembered with acute physical pain.
Quaint mannerisms in a person may be explained as left over fragments of a bastion from which supposed threats were held at bay. Children in distress have tried to make themselves invisible or unapproachable, by keeping close to the wall and avoiding eye-contact. Autistic features that have served a good purpose as withdrawal devices, have later become fixations from which it proves almost impossible to free oneself (D.Williams 1995). Under pressure people may present neurotic behaviours and mannerisms (such as stuttering) because they bear the burden of an archaic system of notions and constructs, which later deforms their communicative behaviour. More example are given in Chapter 10. Much of what has been learned can be unlearned, so there is hope of a cure. In an educational or therapy situation an individual is shown the way to free himself of old life lines and is offered the choice to throw out maladjusted concepts and attitudes for new, more appropriate ones.
In a population of well-adjusted people we see a variety of behaviour patterns or "personalities". Differences between people arise in the first place on the genetic level. With the renewed interest in the human genome, people will be aware that the potential for adaptation and defence is inherited. Only a portion of the potential becomes reality by learning. Early imprinting and later experiences select the basic model for the way an individual interacts with his environment. No two individuals are exactly the same. Similarities in details we will call traits, more comprehensive similarities we will call types of personality. The latter are resistant to change due to their central place in the organisation of the personality. The outward structures are more plastic and more easily modified by learning. The so-called life-scripts of Transactional Analysts belong to this category.
We are fortunate to have a thoroughly tested biological explanation of the variety in people and their different behavioural styles. A biological classification of human variety in physical appearance (body types) and in behavioural style (temperament) should be included in the curriculum of all educational and therapeutic professions and in courses for responsible parenthood.