[Identity and the imagination of the personal sphere].
Identity is a sense of self-sameness and continuity in time, and of embeddedness in the environment. The integrity of this sense depends on the reliability of the boundaries of the self, and on the anchorage in object relationships. Investigations with the Personal Sphere Model, a graphic test for object relationships, have shown that the self and its relationships are arranged in spatial constellations, which are characteristics for the individual and remain constant over time. It appears that these constellations are based on cognitive schemes, which reflect spatial images of the self and its environment, and thus of the sense of identity.