Process for forming direct positive color image

A process for forming a direct positive color image comprising imagewise exposing a photosensitive material containing at least one emulsion layer of silver halide of internal latent image type, which has not been preliminarily fogged, and a color image-forming coupler;

• developing said material using a surface developing solution containing an aromatic primary amine color developing agent in the presence of a nucleating agent and/or in the condition that fogging exposure is carried out prior to the developing step or during the developing step;
• bleaching;
• and fixing, wherein said color coupler is a compound which is in itself substantially nondiffusible, and capable of forming or releasing a substantially nondiffusible dye upon oxidative coupling with said aromatic primary amine color developing agent and said development processing is carried out at a pH of 11.5 or less using a developing solution containing substantially no benzyl alcohol in the presence of at least one compound selected from the group consisting of the compounds represented by the general formula (I)
• General formula (I)
• A[(Y.sup.1).sub.n R].sub.m
• wherein A represents a group being adsorbed on silver halide, Y.sup.1 represents a divalent group consisting of an atom or atomic group selected from the group consisting of a nitrogen atom, a carbon atom, an oxygen atom and a sulfur atom, R represents a polar substituent group or an organic group containing at least one of a thioether group, an amino group, an ammonium group, an ether group and a heterocyclic group, n represents 0 or 1 and m represents 1 or 2.