Word: balint
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...complain merely of unhappiness, because that is not acceptable, but unhappiness along with constipation is acceptable, and the doc tor must treat both. He can prescribe medication for the constipation easily enough, but for the unhappiness, said Dr. Stainbrook, he must offer the treatment recommended by British Psychiatrist Michael Balint: his time, his personality and his attention. He can do this merely by listening attentively, and thus convincing the patient that somebody cares. Often this is all that is needed-plus the confidence that the same care will be available again on another visit...
Human personalities are infinitely diverse and defy all efforts to stuff them into neat pigeonholes, but the classifiers never tire of trying. Latest classifier is Hungarian-born Psychoanalyst Michael Balint, 62, who has lived in Britain since 1939. His basic breakdown: people are either ocnophils or philobats...
...Balint explains in Thrills and Regressions, published by London's Hogarth Press, his Greek polysyllables were devised after he had found, an earthy test for personality typing-how an individual reacts at an amusement park, or "fun-fair." The type that avoids the thrills of the roller coaster, whip and illusion rooms is an ocnophil, from a Greek verb meaning to shrink from or hang back. The opposite, or philobat ("one who loves to go places"), not only gets a kick out of these machines, but is the type that becomes a racing driver, stunt flyer, animal tamer, explorer...
Moving from carnival to couch, Analyst Balint holds that ocnophilia goes with self-effacement, anxiety-proneness and fear of open spaces, while philobatism may lead to self-contained detachment, paranoid attitudes and claustrophobia. The ocnophil is not necessarily more inhibited; while his inhibitions are public, the philobat's are mostly private-often he is unaware of them. And in his more restrained way, the ocnophil may get as much real satisfaction out of life. For while the philobat's enjoyment is more obvious and open, "this hides the price...
Quiet. However rambunctious in the past, Cheyfitz gave not one peep after WLB's jolting decision. But his old sidekick, tough, grim-faced Alex Balint sounded off, lambasted the order as a "mistake," said that worker "morale has dropped from 100% to zero." Then the union surprised everybody, said it would not sanction any protest strike because "we fully realize it would only create disunity...