This presentation draws mainly from the work of Ralph Klein and James F. Masterson’s developmental, self and object relations approach to the understanding and treatment of the schizoid disorder. Ralph Klein conceptualised a split intrapsychic structure as characteristic of the schizoid conflict. He describes two separate but inter-related ‘units’ each with its own unique self-representation, object representation and linking affect. The units are described as the master/slave and the sadistic object/self-in-exile units. By taking excerpts from clinical case material, several examples will be used to show the internal experiences and struggles experienced by schizoid patients.