How to read this: [from the bottom, remembering the simplifications, the high-level abstraction]

We are born slightly extroverted and psychotic and soon move into a short autistic phase. Before about 8 months old, we've 'chosen' or perhaps better 'settling into' our primarily-genetic [at this point] life responses. Of course, environment has its effect - condition of the mother initially - health, nutrition, her genes, etc AND her environment [social support, toxic air, all sorts of things].

The three primary responses [TEA]:

When I placed these overlays the effect was profound. The next emerging aspect or mindset [before we have a substantial mind even] is ALL potential mindsets - in its maladaptive form Borderline Personality Disorder, or positive, as wholly Integrated [ALL TEA used appropriately]. These are extremes and something in between is usual. From this diagram one could presume that BPO is a shared disorder of the clusters. Hmmm, let the psychiatrists roast me!

Later we'll look at different combinations, rather than the three TEA clusters and the all-in-together BPO or Integrated potential. So we could genetically/memetically develop/prefer to negotiate life with BOTH the Red and Blue with a TE biased life. Later!

Disintegration:

Look at my Dark or Light Tetrads ibid for a view that is consistent with this one. NOTE that differentiation/disintegration position is shown as YELLOW in the Tetrads. This has dramatic implications for the Yellow mindset in extremis.

RED: IF we respond primarily with Emotive, sensory, unconscious behaviours we can have [remembering positive or negative] Cluster A /Mad disorders in its extreme, or at least a very emotive life. One might [positively] be e.g. an empath, Highly Sensitive person [HSP, Aron], an artist, a sensate of some form, and are very in touch with our internals - physical senses and un/subconscious thinking.

NOTE: Any TEA expression has its problems when out of balance with our other potentials though.

BLUE: IF we take the Blue , then we are observers of life, puzzling it out as best we can. Even as babies this behaviour seem obvious to parents. The leaning is towards in introverted life.

ORANGE: While we are action-oriented creatures no matter what approach we take, it's the underlying mindsets that determine the TEA and coloured shapes used. The Orange has intent and will power as drivers. It wants what it wants and goes for it. At early development, Orange and Red may appear similar but here's a story.

Two babies [up to say 2yo] crying hard wanting something, an icecream say. Give them it: one stops crying immediately, the other is inconsolable... Orange gets its outcome - satisfied; Red gets it too but doesn't have sufficient emotional regulation to stop crying. A third, the Blue baby would be watching all this and might want an icecream too and just reach out. It would register disappointment and probably internalize - sulk or go quiet - if it didn't get the icecream. It would be noted/processed either way though.

For the pathway to our maladaptive personality formation, the earlier diagram shows a winding journey, not just the linear growth [K3, 2, 1] as shown in the Kernberg sidebar.

Can we get to a healthy expression of the individual, the Self in contemporary western society? Or any other society? What does healthy even mean? Surviving? Functional? Balanced or integrated? Happy/satisfied even? My Selves Model ibid might give you some answers.

Fraught: The Borderline position has many ramifications... Note the closeness or this and the Red cluster to the [bottom-most] psychotic area - more on this later but consider how close to a psychotic break any action towards or in the Yellow mindset. i.e. when the Long Dark Night of the Soul aka 2nd Tier transformation happens to take one to Yellow. It's in effect an extreme regression to reboot the integration of Self - care required!

Dabrowski's Overexcitabilities are not a neat fit in the above diagram and this is not based on anything other than me trying to find a fit IF it exists. Feel free to disassemble my thinking and improve it. Thought I'd throw it in to help process any connection. Enjoy!

Tetrads: search this site, as they are discussed elsewhere in dysfunctional behaviour but here is a reminder below. I think it would be rare to find the positive Yellow [integrated/balanced] mindset from early childhood days because it would probably require very aware parents AND a suitable environment to facilitate this. It seems to me that the potential instability [nearness to psychoticism] would be a more likely outcome, and hence BPO. But then I'm no psychiatrist, psychologist, or a Piaget!