2 - The Independent

Relation Instinct · Domain of Health and Security

The Relation Instinct's fundamental concern is living with others, expressed as "Who am I with?" - a preoccupation with Emotions of love or hate rooted in the chest/heart center. The three Fixations of the Living Group approach reality from this perspective, manifesting in patterns connected to the child's history with the father. The Independent emerges when the Domain of Health and Security becomes fixated, producing an ego-personality that seeks to control relationships through service, flattery, and a mercantile attitude of exchange. This fixation obscures the Divine Principle of No Dependence (Freedom), resulting in a personality that appears supportive and independent while internally experiencing anxiety about paternal domination and a compulsive need for approval through usefulness.

Initial Trauma
The initial trauma comes from projecting that their father is overpowering, potent, controlling, and domineering. They perceive him as an all-powerful provider whose intense energy produces joviality. They feel overpowered, controlled, minimalized, and worthless by comparison. To deal with this and difficult social situations, they serve others and be useful, adopting a mercantile attitude: “I serve you and I expect you to do the same for me.” Their ego-motivated giving provides an understanding of how to control the life and security of others, making them effective directors. Through adulation and flattery, rooted in anxiety, they attempt to attract their father's approval. Feeling incapable, they become fiercely independent, projecting the all-powerful father figure onto others. They often live in solitude, dealing with social anxiety by appearing supportive and using flattery.

Ego-Projections

• Idealized Self: Believe they are open-minded, free-spirited, supportive, agreeable, polite, confident, and spontaneous.

• Projected Reality: Recognizable by ego-projections of someone who is narcissistic, prideful, militant, selfish, and a disinterested loner.

Ego-Position
Self-centered. Independents rely solely on themselves, producing their own isolation. This makes it difficult to compromise or form relations, which they project are like the paternal dominance at the base of this Fixation.

Domain
The Domain of Health and Security. This is where we experience the order and routine of life. Includes: safety, health, well-being, financial security; doctors, dentists, hospitals, pharmacies, grocery/health food stores, vitamins, diets, health clubs, spas; police, military, fire fighters, security, insurance, banks, stock market, investments.

Dichotomy
The two poles of the ego in this Domain:

• Fussy Ego: Meticulously organized, petty, attached to routine, militant, needs to take positions on everything and contradict differing opinions to direct, control and guide people’s lives.

• Messy Ego: A slob, disorganized, haphazard, anarchic. Accepts obligations they don’t fulfill, becomes discouraged when failing to receive approval and praise.

• Corrective Purpose: To balance the need for control with flexibility and responsibility.

Independents swing between these extremes.

Ego-Balancers

• For the Fussy side: Accommodating (to allow for others' ways and reduce rigidity).

• For the Messy side: Organized (to introduce order and reliability).

Ego-Insecurity

Hatred. The ego-insecurity stemming from their dichotomous nature as either fussily controlling or messily anarchic develops into a simmering, underlying Hatred toward those they perceive as domineering or withholding approval.

Main Characteristic

Flattery. Their main characteristic is Flattery, which they use as a calculated means to control and manipulate others, seeking to secure approval and independence through ingratiating praise and service.

Analysis Across the Five Centers of Attention

1. Sexual Drive: Try to win approval of a domineering father figure projected onto the world. Deal with control in relations by appearing seductive and plotting how to attract and seduce partners. Understanding of sexuality is seduction, presenting themselves in the best light as supportive. They are sexually controlling with an “I know better” attitude.

2. Motivational: Project a sense of self by tenaciously asserting their own opinions and need for acceptance. Their projection of being special and helpful leads them to justify their controlling, take-charge manner, believing their opinions are the only ones that matter.

3. Behavioral: Overpowering and tenacious opinions make them intolerant and quick-tempered. They don’t accept obstacles or contradictions, resulting in irritation at perceived lack of acceptance and approval.

4. Cognitive: Their way to do things or resolve problems is with militancy and a sense of obligation by taking strong positions. They constantly try to control, direct and tell others how to do things. They are jovial and enthusiastic upon accomplishing desired results.

5. Individuation: Formed around higher ideals of ethical goodness and truth, projected into the role of a trusted leader with a commanding presence and desire to benefit others. This superego guides them with higher values.

Passion
Pride. Comes from a belief in their ability to help others, and from an excessive evaluation of themselves as unique and special, making them intolerant.

Immoral Force
Ill Will. When disintegrated, from the Witness perspective, they see this as contradicting their desire to be available and supportive, regarding it as an immoral, dysfunctional defect.

Door of Compensation
When stressed, they compensate with Psychosomatic Illness (e.g., migraines, ulcers, liver disease, spastic colon, angina, eating disorders, obesity) for a deficient reality they cannot tolerate or control.

Primary Defense Mechanism
Denial. They unconsciously refuse to recognize their projections of an overpowering, humiliating father. When confronted, they refuse responsibility for shortcomings or mistakes. Denial of illness or addiction is common.

Secondary Defense Mechanism
Repression. They repress unacceptable aggression and sexuality, and also unconsciously repress memory of whatever they feel was unfavorable or that they could not dominate.

Personality Disorder
Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Characterized by grandiosity in fantasy/behavior. Hypersensitive to evaluation, lack empathy. Overblown self-importance, exaggerate accomplishments. Need to be noticed as special, believe their problems are unique. Fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, ideal love. Self-importance is fragile; react to criticism with rage, shame, humiliation. Interpersonal relationships are disturbed due to lack of empathy.

Trap
Their compulsion toward independence becomes the Trap of total Freedom. Their natural inclination toward Transcendental Freedom motivates them to discover how to transcend their Fixation’s suffering.

Virtue
Fortitude. Embodying Fortitude supports their discovery of a Higher State beyond ego, the State of Transcendental Freedom.

Ethical State
Commitment. The Virtue of Fortitude evolves into the Ethical State of Commitment, meaning putting their complete self into attaining Knowledge by embodying Integral Teachings to open the State of Transcendental Freedom (Enlightenment).

Way
Liberty. The Trap of Freedom, the Virtue of Fortitude, and the Ethical State of Commitment orient Independents to enter the Transcendental Way of Liberty. Liberty provides a higher perspective of freedom from perceived pressures, especially from a dominant father. By understanding Liberty is inherent, they enter the true State of Freedom.

Divine Form (Mind Catalyzer)
Will. Essential for them to embody this Form. A spiritualized Will is understood as the cosmic and Divine Will behind everything, catalyzing their entire psyche and enabling understanding of the Knowledge of Transcendentality and Absolute Freedom.

Divine Principles of Consciousness

The Virtue of Fortitude and Ethical State of Commitment open the Way of Liberty through the Form of Divine Will. This State of Liberation is attained through understanding and embodying the Divine Principle of No Dependence, meaning the Transcendental Mind can be realized only in a Calm-abiding State.

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