Reich's+3+Layers+of+Somatic+Armoring

Nature (gnatus - birth): qualities of babies at birth
 * First Layer (Core)**:

Character (gher - mark/brand):
 * Middle Layer** **(Armor):**

Personality (persona - mask):
 * Outer Layer (Facade)**:

It is essential that we keep in mind that the organism functions as a unity with an integrated interplay between the layers The differentiated functions of each layer are more obvious in neurosis when the unitary functioning of the organism is disturbed.

In Neurosis:
Façade - realm of the personality - functions to meet the world and keep in check the destructive drives of the secondary layer. Also to fend off anything from the outside world that would stir them up.

Secondary layer - realm of character - functions to bind energy of the core that cannot be expressed and discharged directly

Individual Nature - simply functions in living

The neurotic character is the essential psychic mechanism that the organism uses to bind or deflect undercharged energy. It functions to establish and maintain a psychic equilibrium by avoiding unpleasure and preventing core impulses from being stirred up. In the deepest sense, it defends against orgasm anxiety.

Thus it is the essential block to genitality by preventing the organism from concentrating and thereby fully discharging its energy in love and work.

In Health:
The core is in direct contact with the world through the facade.

The middle layer functions to bind energy. This can often be a healthy, and even a deeper satisfying, action just because there is the capacity to hold the energy and accumulate a charge, allowing for a greater intensity of release. “strength of character” = strength of natural core impulses relative to the capacity of the middle layer to bind or discharge the energy from the core. Use of term “second layer” is appropriate for neurotic cases as it may relate to secondary drives/impulses due to armoring

Character seems not a “thing”, but rather processes used by the organism to defend itself from external threat and intolerable internal impulses. The natural basis of character is life-positive

A personality disorder is one in which the facade is inadequate or unable to restrain the secondary layer, which breaks through. This breaks through in ways which are socially unacceptable. A character disorder implies a much deeper level of understanding of human pathology than the superficial personality disorder. A host of personalities (masks) can develop disorders with but one specific psychic character structure. By this token Multiple personality disorder is a neatly fragmented masks with a single root character disturbance.

The ability of the facade to handle the emerging impulses from the middle layer in relation to the relative strength of the impulses will determine which symptoms will break into a person’s life The facade's function is to either focus or restrain expression with a wide range of masks (attitudes) Natural function of facade: regulate discharge through regulation of expression.

Primary periods of development
Each of us is born with an individual nature which, therefore, must have developed primarily between conception and birth. The psychic character develops from the time of the earliest trauma, sometime before birth (perhaps from conception), until the “solution” of the oedipal conflict at about 5-6 years of age.

The organism presents a façade or face to the world from the moment of conception but the distinct development of this as one’s personality occurs primarily between the oedipal phase and the end of adolescence. From this model a basic character structure can be identified around the time of the first puberty (5-6 years) How they will mask this character cannot be known until adolescence is fairly well completed.

“In our work, theory and practice are inseparable. An erroneous theoretical position must create an incorrect technique, and an incorrect technique must lead to erroneous theoretical concepts.”

Source:"Nature, Character, and Personality"; Peter A. Crist, M.D.; Journal Of Orgonomy Vol 27/1 pp.48-60.