We live in a world in which we are constantly exposed to advertising. To what extent does advertising influence our choices as consumers and what effect does it have on our lifestyle? Discuss this issue and give your opinion.

It is psychiatrist Ralph Klein who was credited with first coining the phrase ‘secret schizoid’. Unlike the overtly schizoid or schizotypal individual who is characterised by aloofness, coldness and indifference, the secret schizoid may present himself as an engaging and interactive individual

according to

Klein.

Thus

, Klein argues, there are not one but two distinct schizoid

personality

types: the overt schizoid and the covert schizoid. Covert

schizoids

are difficult,

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first glance, to identify. They have erected a convincing defensive barrier of social assuredness, engaging with the external reality, superficially at least.

This

engagement might, to the casual onlooker, appear quite normal.

However

, if quizzed about their behaviour, covert

schizoids

will probably reveal that they are still, on a deeper level, withdrawn from the real world. Their outward persona should be viewed,

therefore

, as little more than an act; the actual

personality

only being revealed in a safe place within the confines of the

schizoids

’ own mind;

in other words

, only ever known to the

schizoids

themselves. The covert schizoid, as Fairbairn identified as long ago as 1940, is capable of ‘schizoid exhibitionism’; covert

schizoids

can appear to express a lot of

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and make impressive social contacts without revealing anything of great significance about themselves. In effect, they disown the ‘character’ they play in public - the very credible front they put up -preserving their real

personality

intact. What the

schizoids

fear most is the consequences of emotional intimacy, so by erecting an invisible barrier between their public persona and their real self, the

schizoids

can avoid ever having to confront

this

fear and yet lead a relatively active and inclusive lifestyle. Is the secret schizoid schizophrenic? Certainly not. Though the two fall within the realms of the same family of illnesses,

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schizophrenic

personality

disorder is far more destructive.

Whereas

schizoids

can, depending on the severity of their affliction, function fairly normally and even form relationships with others (based on intellectual, physical, familial, occupational or recreational, but most certainly not emotional, activities), and have a relatively fair grasp of reality, schizophrenics are plagued by hallucinations, delusions and disorganised thinking, all of which are likely to affect their functional capacity in a very negative way. It is true,

however

, that a family background of schizophrenia leaves one more vulnerable to or likely to develop a schizoid or schizotypal

personality

. The causes of schizoid

personality

disorder are not clear, but it is theorised that an absence of parental affection and attention during early childhood may encourage the defensive tendencies and fear of intimacy that

schizoids

exhibit. It is

also

hypothesised that so-called secret

schizoids

are highly intelligent and have learned to develop their act as an effective coping mechanism which allows them to have the superficial relationships they so often crave without compromising that which they hold most valuable - their privacy. One of the most damaging aspects of life as a secret schizoid can be what is termed 'depersonalisation’, namely, the loss of one’s sense of identity and individuality. Without the feedback which may be gleaned from real interpersonal relationships,

schizoids

’ perception of self may become skewed, or worse, they may begin to lose all self-perception. Effectively,

this

leaves the individuals feeling a deep sense of emptiness. Their emotional needs continue to go unfulfilled despite the fact that, on the face of it, the secret

schizoids

are leading an active and engaging lifestyle. The

schizoids

begin to question who or what they are and, tragically, yearn for the emotional attachment needed to confirm or reaffirm their perceptions of self an emotional attachment that they are incapable of seeking.