Object relationship theory
- 1. PRESENTED TO PRESENTD BY IB MUDAKAVI PRAGYA NURSING TUTOR M.SC 1ST YEAR
- 2. In object-relations theory, objects are usually persons, parts of persons (such as the mother's breast), or symbols of one of these. The primary object is the mother. The child's relation to an object (e.g. the mother's breast) servers as the prototype for future interpersonal relationships. Object relations is a variation of psychoanalytic theory that diverges from Sigmund Freud’s belief that humans are motivated by sexual and aggressive drives, suggesting instead that humans are primarily motivated by the need for contact with others—the need to form relationships.
- 3. The aim of an object relations therapist is to help an individual in therapy uncover early mental images that may contribute to any present difficulties in one’s relationships with others and adjust them in ways that may improve interpersonal functioning.
- 4. The term “object relations” refers to the dynamic internalized relationships between the self and significant others (objects). An object relation involves mental representations of: The object as perceived by the self The self in relation to the object The relationship between self and object For example, an infant might think: "My mother is good because she feeds me when I am hungry" (representation of the object). "The fact that she takes care of me must mean that I am good" (representation of the self in relation to the object). "I love my mother" (representation of the relationship).
- 5. Klein is often credited with founding the object relations approach. From her work with young children and infants, she concluded that they focused more on developing relationships, especially with their caregivers, than on controlling sexual urges, as Freud had proposed. Klein also focused her attention on the first few months of a child’s life, whereas Freud emphasized the importance of the first few years of life.
- 6. Fairbairn agreed with Klein when he posited that humans are object-seeking beings, not pleasure- seeking beings. He viewed development as a gradual process during which individuals evolve from a state of complete, infantile dependence on the caregiver toward a state of interdependency, in which they still depend on others but are also capable of being relied upon.
- 7. Winnicott stressed the importance of raising children in an environment where they are encouraged to develop a sense of independence but know that their caregiver will protect them from danger. He suggested that if the caregiver does not attend to the needs and potential of the child, the child may be led to develop a false Object Relations Theory
- 8. Theory of Unconscious fantasy Paranoid-Schizoid Position Splitting Introjection and Projection Projective Identification Depressive Position Oedipus Complex Critical Evaluation Klein vs. Freud
- 9. When she wrote of the dynamic fantasy life of infants, she did not suggest that neonates could put thoughts into words. She simply meant that they possess unconscious images of “good” and “bad.” for example, a full stomach is good, an empty one is bad. Thus, Klein would say that infants who fall asleep while sucking on their fingers are fantasizing about having their mother’s good breast inside themselves. She also observed that when a child was given the freedom to express his or her Fantasies, which were then interpreted, their anxiety decreased.
- 10. Klein (1946) called the developmental stage of the first four to six months the paranoid-schizoid position Indeed, while Freudian drive theory sprung from his Life Instinct (Eros), Klein’s theories grew from her focus on the Death Instinct (Thanatos), which Freud himself never fully explored. Klein believed that ego formation begins from the moment of birth when the newborn attempts to relate to the world through part-objects – thus the object ‘mother’ becomes a part-object ‘breast’.
- 11. Central to object relations theory is the notion of splitting, which can be described as the mental separation of objects into "good" and "bad" parts and the subsequent repression of the "bad," or anxiety-provoking, aspects (Klein, 1932; 1935). Splitting occurs when a person (especially a child) can't keep two contradictory thoughts or feelings in mind at the same time, and therefore keeps the conflicting feelings apart and focuses on just one of them. Splitting as a defense is a way of managing anxiety by protecting the ego from negative emotions.
- 12. The baby internalizes or introjects the objects – literally by swallowing the nourishing breast milk, symbol of life and love, but also though experiencing hunger pains and its own aggressive anger against the withholding Bad Breast inside its body. These internalized introjects or imagoes form the basis of the baby’s ego. The infant’s unconscious works to keep the Good Breast (and all it symbolizes; love, the life instinct) safe from the Bad Breast (feelings of hate and aggression, the death instinct).
- 13. The unconscious process of splitting, projection and introjection is an attempt to ease paranoid anxieties of persecution, internally and externally. Unbearable negative feelings as well as positive loving emotions are projected onto external objects, as in Freud. In later life, we see the same process in adults projecting their unwanted fears and hatred onto other people, resulting in racism, war and genocide. We also see it when people employ positive thinking or conversely negative biases, seeing only what they want to see in order to feel happy and safe.
- 14. Projective Identification is a psychic defense mechanism in which infants split off unacceptable parts of themselves, project them onto another object, and finally introject them back into themselves in a changed of distorted form. By taking the object back into themselves, infants feel that they have become like that objects, that is, they identify with that object. Exerts a powerful influence on adult interpersonal relationship. Unlike simple projection, which can exist in wholly in fantasy, projective identification exists only in the world of real interpersonal relationships.
- 15. The Depressive Position first manifests during weaning – around three to six months – when a child comes to terms with the reality of the world and its place in it. At the heart of the Depressive Position is loss and mourning: mourning the separation of self from the mother, mourning the loss of the narcissistic fantasy where the child’s Ego was the world, mourning the objects it has hurt or destroyed through aggression and envy. But from the ruins there arises first the feeling of guilt, then the drive for reparation and love. In the Depressive Position, a child learns to relate to its objects in a completely new way. It has less need for splitting, introjection and projection as defenses and begins to view inner and outer reality more accurately. Part-objects are now viewed as whole people, who have their own relationships and feelings; absence is experienced as a loss rather than a persecutory attack. Instead of anger, the baby feels grief. It is at around three months that a baby begins to cry real tears.
- 16. At a conference in Salzberg in 1924, Klein dared to place the Oedipus complex at around one to two years – a much earlier stage than Freud’s six to seven years. Where Freud’s development of the superego was seen as a good thing, Klein (1945) saw a hostile superego developing at the oral stage. She also delineated between the experiences of girls and boys and gave more power to the mother. The Oedipal crisis will morph in the Depressive Position into one of separation and loss.
- 17. Melanie Klein (1932) is one of the key figures in psychoanalysis. Her unabashed disagreements with Freudian theory and revolutionary way of thinking was especially important in the development of child analysis. Her theories on the schizoid defenses of splitting and projective identification remain influential in psychoanalytical theory today. For Kleinians, the aim of psychoanalysis is to enable the adult client to tolerate the Depressive Position more securely, even though it is never fixed and we all topple into paranoid fantasies and polarizing viewpoints. This echoes Freud’s aim to help patients achieve a state of ‘ordinary unhappiness’.
- 18. Psychoanalyst Jaqueline Rose (1993) has noted that, especially in the USA, Klein’s work has been rejected because of her violence and negativity. Klein herself wrote: ‘My method presupposes that I have been from the beginning willing to attract to myself the negative as well as the positive transference’.. Perhaps due to the shocking violence and negative bias of Klein’s infant fantasy world, the question that continues to be asked by Klein’s critics is this: Whose reality was Klein interpreting – her clients’ or her own?
- 19. Melanie Klein Sigmund Freud Places emphasis on interpersonal relationship Places emphasis on biologically based drives Emphasizes the intimacy and nurturing of the mother Emphasizes the power and control of the father Behavior is motivated by human contact and relationships Behavior is motivated by sexual energy (the libido) Klein stressed the importance of the first 4 or 6 months Freud emphasized the first 4 or 6 years of life
- 20. Psychologists, psychotherapists, counselors, and social workers may earn certification in object relations therapy from one of several training institutions across the country. For example, the International Psychotherapy Institute (IPI), formerly the International Institute of Object Relations Theory, offers a two- year certificate program in Object Relations Theory and Practice for professionals involved in the mental health field. The Object Relations Institute for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis offers a one-year introductory certificate program in object relations theory and clinical technique, as well as a more advanced two-year program. The Ottawa Institute for Object Relations Therapy also certifies psychotherapists in Object Relations Therapy.
- 21. Object relations therapy focuses on helping individuals identify and address deficits in their interpersonal functioning They explore ways that relationships can be improved. A therapist can help people in therapy understand how childhood object relations impact current emotions, motivations, and relationships and contribute to any problems being faced. Aspects of the self that were split and repressed can be brought into awareness during therapy, and individuals can address these aspects of themselves in order to experience a more authentic existence. Therapy can often help a person to experience less internal conflict and become able to relate to others more fully.
- 22. In the initial stage of object relations therapy, the therapist generally attempts to understand, through empathic listening and acceptance, the inner world, family background, fears, hopes, and needs of the person in therapy. Once a level of mutual trust has been developed, the therapist may guide the person in therapy into areas that may be more sensitive or guarded, with the purpose of promoting greater self-awareness and understanding.
- 23. During therapy, the behaviors of the person in therapy may help the therapist understand how the person is experienced and understood by others in that person’s environment. Because the therapist is likely to react in such a way as to encourage insight and help a person achieve greater awareness, an individual may strengthen, through the therapeutic process, the ability to form healthy object relations, which can be transferred to relationships outside of the counseling environment.
- 24. The success of object relations therapy is largely dependent on the nature of the therapeutic relationship. In the absence of a secure, trusting relationship, people in therapy are not likely to risk abandoning their internal objects or attachments, even if these relationships are unhealthy. Therefore, it may be necessary for object relations therapists to first develop an empathic, trusting relationship with a person in therapy and to create an environment in which an individual feels safe and understood.
- 25. Early object relations therapists were criticized for underestimating the biological basis of some conditions, such as autism, learning difficulties, and some forms of psychosis. Modern object relation theorists generally recognize that therapy alone is not sufficient for treating certain issues and that other types of therapy, as well as pharmacological support, may be necessary in some cases. Time consuming therapy Object relations therapy can also become quite costly, due to its length.
- 26. Quick results may also be desired in some cases, such as when a person experiences addiction or another condition that may lead one to harm the self or other. But this theory take more time to find the result.
- 27. Mahler (Mahler, Pine, & Bergman, 1975) formulated a theory that describes the separation–individuation process of the infant from the maternal figure (primary caregiver). She described the process as progressing through three major phases, and further delineated phase III, the separation–individuation phase, into four subphases. Phase I: The Autistic Phase (Birth to 1 Month) In this phase, also called normal autism, the infant exists in a half-sleeping, half-waking state and does not perceive the existence of other people or an external environment. The fulfillment of basic needs for survival and comfort is the focus and is merely accepted as it occurs.
- 28. Phase II: The Symbiotic Phase (1 to 5 Months) Symbiosis is a type of “psychic fusion” of mother and child. The child views the self as an extension of the mother but with a developing awareness that it is she who fulfills the child’s every need. Mahler suggested that absence of, or rejection by, the maternal figure at this phase can lead to symbiotic psychosis. Phase III: Separation– Individuation (5 to 36 Months) this third phase represents what Mahler called the “psychological birth” of the child. Separation is defined as the physical and psychological attainment of a sense of personal distinction from the mothering figure. Individuation occurs with a strengthening of the ego and an acceptance of a sense of “self,” with independent ego boundaries.
- 29. Four subphases through which the child evolves in his or her progression from a symbiotic extension of the mothering figure to a distinct and separate being are described. Subphase 1—Differentiation (5 to 10 Months) The differentiation phase begins with the child’s initial physical movements away from the mothering figure. A primary recognition of separateness commences. Subphase 2—Practicing (10 to 16 Months) with advanced locomotor functioning, the child experiences feelings of exhilaration from increased independence. He or she is now able to move away from, and return to, the mothering figure. A sense of omnipotence is manifested.
- 30. Subphase 3—Rapprochement (16 to 24 Months) this third subphase is extremely critical to the Child’s healthy ego development. The child needs the mothering figure to be available to provide “emotional refueling” on demand. Critical to this subphase is the mothering figure’s response to the child. If the mothering figure is available to fulfill emotional needs as they are required, the child develops a sense of security in the knowledge that he or she is loved and will not be abandoned. However, if emotional needs are inconsistently met or if the mother rewards clinging, dependent behaviors and withholds nurturing when the child demonstrates independence, feelings of rage and fear of abandonment develop and often persist into adulthood.
- 31. Subphase 4—Consolidation (24 to 36 Months) With achievement of consolidation, a definite individuality and sense of separateness of self are established. Objects are represented as whole, with the ability to integrate both “good” and “bad.” A degree of object constancy is established as the child is able to internalize a sustained image of the mothering figure as enduring
- 32. The socio-behavioral development of children with symptoms of attachment disorder: An observational study of teacher sensitivity in special education
- 33. Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) exhibit socio-behavioral problems that hinder their school adjustment. These socio-behavioral problems appear relatively stable and it is not known what influence special education teachers might have on the development of these problems across a school year. This study suggests that teacher sensitivity is associated with changes in the socio-behavioral development of children with Inhibited RAD symptoms. Whereas high sensitivity was associated with improvements, low sensitivity appeared to exaggerate the socio-behavioral problems of these children. As children with Inhibited RAD symptoms have difficulties communicating their needs .
- 34. This study therefore highlights the need to support teachers in interactions with children with Inhibited RAD symptoms in order to help them understand how the children's observable behaviors in the classroom may convey their underlying socio-emotional needs and how they can respond to these needs. Importantly, teacher sensitivity was not associated with the socio-behavioral development of children with Disinhibited RAD symptoms (e.g., indiscriminate friendliness). Consistent with previous research, this study suggests that children with Inhibited RAD symptoms are more susceptible to the quality of the caregiving environment than children with Disinhibited RAD symptoms .
- 35. To summaries, today we have discussed about objective relation theory, basic concept of theory, objective, limitation phases of theory.
- 36. Object relations theory proposes that the gradual analysis of intersystemic conflicts between impulse and defense (structured into conflicts between ego, superego, and id, decomposes the tripartite structure into the constituent conflicting internalized object relations.
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