Conclusions
The distorted and often explosive emergence of Quad Four material into Quad One is most likely to occur when there is societal repression caused by the imposition of Victorian” morality or racially-motivated suppression. We find this in the gospel music of African-American societies and in the ecstatic displayed in many super fundamentalistic religions—such as those that feature speaking-in-tongues or the handling of poisonous snakes.
Perhaps the most dramatic (and disturbing) of the explosive displays of Quad Four is to be found in the Nazi rallies at Nuremburg during the 1930s. Recorded on film by Leni Riefenstahl, these rallies manifest a pure regression that was certainly not in the service of any ego—other than the egotism (and narcissism) of the leader. Both Quad Two and Quad Three shrunk to nothing, for there was no need (or room) for feedback from other Nazi participants. Nor was it appropriate to disclose one’s own personal thoughts and feelings. The only feedback that matters came from the leader—and it was profoundly distorted and often directed toward some maligned minority. There were no personal thoughts or feelings—the only thought and feelings that mattered emanated from the leader and these expanded into collective thoughts and feelings.
Our Quad Four is truly a vast wilderness that is not easily tamed –and perhaps should never be fully tamed. It is a source of great wisdom and profound distortion. Our interpersonal relationships are enriched by our fourth quad–and these relationships can be led astray by the ghosts and demons found in our unconscious life. Collectively, we must be aware of ways in which quad fours among many people can be brought together and unified to create a constructive and compelling future. However, as I have just noted, collective quad fours can lead instead to unspeakable cruelty and tyranny. All of this suggests that our understanding of this quad can never be complete. Nevertheless, the more complex models of the Johari Window that I have just offered in this essay and the previous essay point at least to some of the ways in which we might appreciate and perhaps gain greater understanding of this important and often elusive psychic wilderness.
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[i] Berne, Eric. Transactional Analysis in Psychotherapy. New York: Ballantine Books, 1986; Berne, Eric. The Games People Play. New York: Ballentine Books, 1996.2
