Deputy agents were described by Blatz as devices an individual uses to carry him over a period of insecurity until he is willing to accept the consequences of a genuine decision. They work by freeing him of his insecurity at least temporarily, but they lead to no adequate permanent solution. (Blatz, 1966, p.93).
In the later phase of his theory, he labeled them postponement, reinterpretation, re-direction, and denial. He considered them healthy problem-solving devices if they were used with insight and employed only as a temporary expedient, but they were seriously maladaptive in their extreme and solidified forms.
Postponement of a decision represented good judgement if more information was required, if more time to consider were needed, and if the individual could accept the insecurity resulting from the delay. However, postponement to avoid decision-making could become procrastination fraught with anxiety.
Reinterpretation in its healthy form could be reasoning about alternative solutions but, if no decisive action followed, the reasoning could turn into rationalization ora "fantasy of lies" and obliterate the reality of the situation.
Redirection was attributing the cause of one's insecurity to others or blaming someone else for one's predicament. It was, Blatz suggested, commonly used to avoid the consequences imposed by an unjust authority. Resentment was induced, and this justified the blaming. If carried to its extreme, resentment could become feelings of persecution.
Denial was maintaining that there was no problem to be solved and hence no decisions to be made. Being ill and forgetting were the two most common forms. In their extreme, they become hypochondria and amnesia.
- W.E. Blatz: The Person and His Work by Mary J. Wright
Source: The Security Child, editor Volpe:p.37
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