Introduction - the 18 stages.

The 18 Stages

Whilst Jan Scholten assigns 18 Stages to the columns of the Periodic Table, Karen Horney emphasises the main coping strateges, moving towards, against or away from people. This trend is reflected in Scholten's stages. The stages represent transitions or changes, most usually in development, but they can also be seen as a metaphor for the eight trigrams of the I-Ching, which represent a series of situations - the image of growth and decay, all that happens on heaven and earth.


Moving Toward People

• 1. The need for affection and approval; pleasing others and being liked by them.


• 2. The need for a partner; one whom they can love and who will solve all problems.

Moving Against People

• 3. The need for power; the ability to bend wills and achieve control over others -- while most persons seek strength, the neurotic may be desperate for it.


• 4. The need to exploit others; to get the better of them. To become manipulative, fostering the belief that people are there simply to be used.


• 5. The need for social recognition; prestige and limelight.


• 6. The need for personal admiration; for both inner and outer qualities -- to be valued.


• 7. The need for personal achievement; though virtually all persons wish to make achievements, as with No. 3, the neurotic may be desperate for achievement.

Moving Away from People

• 8. The need for self sufficiency and independence; while most desire some autonomy, the neurotic may simply wish to discard other individuals entirely.


• 9. The need for perfection; while many are driven to perfect their lives in the form of well being, the neurotic may display a fear of being slightly flawed.


• 10. Lastly, the need to restrict life practices to within narrow borders; to live as inconspicuous a life as possible.

Albert Ellis believed that there is a dual origin to personality disorders, organic and non-organic. He felt that non-organic disorders originate from predispositions and vunerabilities which lead to major styles of irrational belief (and subsequently to delusion), which are fundamental to their aetiology, such as catastrophising and awfulising .

Hence the non-organic personality disorders (D.S.M) correspond closely to the Stages (below).


Other disorders, which have an organic (and probably Miasmatic) component are usually assosicated with the gold series, e.g. Schiziod at Stages 1 to 3, Schizotypal at Stages 10 to 13, Paranoid at Stages 11 to 15 and Borderline at Stages 15 to 17. (Xref)

Each Series emphasises the stages differently...

• The Carbon Series is about individuation.
• The Silica Series is about boundaries.
• The Ferrum Series is about roles and responsibility.
• The Silver Series is about creativity and Ideas.
• The Gold Series is about power.
• The Lanthanide Series is about autonomy.

These trends or stages can also be identified in the plant and animal Kingdoms, see post, "Orders, Stages and Series in the Plant Kingdom", Label: Pt2.Ch4.Plants.Series+Stages.