Guntrip (1969) used the phrase "the living heart fled" to describe the situation in which the vital energies, emotions, and vitality affects are held inside, leaving an empty shell to interact with others and to direct human relations.

In seeking to eliminate his feelings, the schizoid is actively cultivating death within life. Uninvolved with their emotions, robot-like, and objective, the schizoid loses many of his human attributes and begins to feel cold, dry, dead, impotent, empty, worthless, and desolated. Yet ironically, it is the experience of feeling dead that reveals the schizoid’s underlying humanity.

Because of their isolating and denial of attachment, schizoids often operate without a sense of being -- an empty shell experience. This "doing" without a sense of "being" leads to a sense that being or life is meaningless.

When the schizoid shows characteristics of being in need or emotional, they make self-loathing, judgmental statements about being "weak" or "needy." The person often thinks of their own love as so needy that it is devouring or humiliating.

Schizoids do not connect to others with much hope of being met and lovingly received. They do not believe they can be loved, and they fear that even if a relationship is established, the intimate connection means losing autonomy of the self and other.

Compulsive, frantic talking or behavior helps the schizoid to compensate for his apathy and inner emptiness by giving others the impression that he is alive and engaged. This may include pressured talking, imitation of others, exhibition of pseudoemotions, or efforts to become funny or entertaining.

When the need they have been denying starts to emerge into awareness, schizoids experience intense shame. In fact, shame is a fundamental process for schizoids. They are easily shamed, although that is not always obvious because they deny that they are attached or that they need anything.

Most schizoids will express a desire to be free of any impingement or requirement to do anything. In a relationship they will often talk about how they want to be able to go out and not have to face any limitations.