The uncompensated rigid orientations are represented by [r=Ru] and, In the more extreme instance, by [r+=Ru+]. The difference between them is primarily a matter of degree. The common features in the "Ru" adjustments are insulation, focus, and set, which are retained from the primitive state. Further, the individual has remained adept in rote learning, but not in understanding. He is predominantly self-centered, having failed to acquire insight and empathy.
The [r+=Ru+] has remained closest to primitive rigidity at the basic level of his development. He is repetitious, imitative, end unspontaneous. He has excellent ability to concentrate, but he will confine it to extremely narrow interests. Lacking insight, and functioning on the basis of fixed rules, the [r+=Ru+] needs external authority to give him specific direction for differentiating right from wrong. Without such regulation, he is prone to confusion in these respects.
The [r+=Ru+] has great difficulty in perceiving inter, intra, and impersonal relationships. He is usually so self-centered and self-preoccupied that he is unable to think of himself in relation to people and things in the environment. In addition, he cannot integrate perceptual and ideational activities meaningfully, because he is essentially without insight into either. Since he is not defensive, he is not overly tense. However, he is highly dependent on external guidance, and even pressure, to help him extend the range of his highly restricted activities. If external forces succeed in pressuring him toward a new activity, he will perseverate in that area unless he Is firmly directed further.
Since the [r+=Ru+] tends to be completely unaware of the limited nature of his adjustment, he is able to find genuine satisfactions within it. He enjoys perseverating within narrow ranges, and he is not motivated to achieve versatility. He can learn rules and regulations well, and is content to follow them. He is able to acquire specific skills through rote learning, manual-manipulative practice and drill. He is also able to use the skills which he has painstakingly acquired in well-defined, structural situations.
The [r+=Ru+], then, tends to persist in the activity which has caught his interest, at the expense of virtually all other undertakings. Because of the strength of his set, it is apt to be exceedingly difficult to divert his fixed attention. However, if distractions are forced upon his awareness, he can become extremely distressed.
Although an [r+=Ru+] is relatively unaware of, and insensitive to the needs of others in his environment, he nevertheless tends to insist that his own feelings be recognized and appreciated. The [r+=Ru+] characteristically appears to be phlegmatic. Nevertheless, he is extremely emotional in his own way. He Is subject to mood swings, and tends to be unpredictably explosive in his emotional expression. If he is an Externalizer his changes in mood will usually be quite apparent. At times, he will manifest sudden, unreasonable hostility and belligerence. At other times, he will become overtly depressed.
The internalized [r+=Ru+] on the other hand, will express his moodiness and his explosive emotionality in characteristically internalized ways. He will be more inclined to taciturnity, broodings, and temper tantrums, disproportionate to actual provocations. An externalized [r=Ru] appears temperamental, selfish, and spoiled, because he is essentially unfeeling in his Interpersonal involvements. The internalized [r=Ru] will be undemonstrative, preoccupied, and resistant to interpersonal relationships. Both are essentially tough, ritualistic, self-preoccupied, and insensitive.
The [r+=Ru+], in some respects, has an advantage over the [r=Ru]. While the former is unaware of his limitations, the latter has just enough insight to recognize the restricted nature of his own adjustment. He is capable of realizing that he is self-centered. He is likely, however, to try to overcome his inadequacy by becoming quarrelsome and difficult, in order to demonstrate that he is not selfish and interpersonally unaware. Like the [r+=Ru+], he, too, is explosive emotionally, In fact, the [r=Ru] may be even more unpredictable than an [r+=Ru+] in this respect. He vacillates within a wider range, attempting on the one hand, to progress in the "F" direction, and alternating these efforts with swings toward the [r+=Ru+] state.
In general, the [r=Ru] will nevertheless appear to be better adjusted than the [r+=Ru+], i because he exerts considerable effort at control, and usually reverts to true [r+=Ru+] behavior only under unusual conditions, such as stress. He is also better able than the [r+=Ru+] to tell right from wrong without relying exclusively on external authority to guide him. In some respects, then, his behavior is more However, characterized by alternating efforts to overcome his limitations and swings in the regressive direction, his adaptation is more vulnerable to breakdown.
The [r=Ru] has further disadvantages in comparison with the [r+=Ru+], in terms of his own comfort. He is aware of the narrowness of the range of his activities, but is not sufficiently flexible to extend them to any marked extent. While the [r+=Ru+] will usually concentrate on a single activity, the [r=Ru] is better able to achieve fairly well in several. On the other hand, he will probably not be so effective as the [r+=Ru+], because his ability to focus is less restricted and intense. He is also less perseverative, and his orientation is less stable in consequence.