ABSTRACT
In the case of the philobat the progression is the acquisition of the consummate skill necessary for dealing with reality. The aim of this progression, of the acquisition of the skill by unrelenting effort and self-criticism, is to enable one to regress to the state which may be described as in a way forgetting altogether about the world around onself. Philobatic progression for the sake of regression demands the acquisition of a consummate skill, it enables one to regress to this early state of harmonious identity, not only in fantasy but also, to a great extent, in reality. The philobat suffered the same trauma, but the skill which one was able to acquire enabled him to re-create to some extent the destroyed harmony between his world and himself. The ocnophil is always suspicious, mistrusting, critical; the philobat always superior, condescending.
