Mahler's Concepts of “Symbiosis” and Separation-Individuation: Revisited, Reevaluated, Refined

Pine, Fred

doi:10.1177/00030651040520021001

Cited by 46 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Mahler (1971) situated borderline personality as a developmental fixation at the rapprochement subphase of separation-individuation. During this subphase, the toddler is torn between a pull towards symbiotic reunification with mother, which is counterbalanced by fears of loss of autonomy, and striving towards separateness (Mahler et al 1975;Pine, 2004).…”

Section: Binary Attributions Of Motivationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Borderline Attributions

Gregory

2007

APT

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Borderline personality disorder is characterized as an identity disturbance or pathology of the self-structure. The author employs concepts from deconstruc tion philosophy and object relations theory to explore how persons with borderline personality disorder attempt to generate meaning, eliminat ambiguity, and maintain idealizations by assigning polarized attributions of value, agency, and motivation to their experiences. The author proposes tha these binary attributions interact to form multiple, discrete self structures or states of being. Each state is characterized by stereotyped expectations for self and other and patterns of relatedness that are self-perpetuating. The author delineates four common states, labeled as helpless victim, guilty perpetrator angry victim, and demigod perpetrator, and suggests treatment strategies t deconstruct each state and to facilitate the development of an integrated and differentiated selfJacques Derrick is considered the founder of deconstruction, a postmodern philosophy that closely examines how meaning is generated. Much of Derrida's writing is a critique of Western philosophical traditions. He points out that Western philosophy is based upon a binary system of logic, i.e. if p, then q. There is a presupposition that universal truths and essential meanings may be discovered through objective observations and logic.Derrida felt that this binary system of absolutes provided an implicit lens for how we perceive ourselves and others and how we make sense of our experiences. In binary logic, any being or entity is defined by what it is not, "which would identify it as this rather than that" (Derrida, 2004, p. 143). For example, an apple is defined by how its shape, color, and texture differ from other fruit, such as a banana. A fruit is either an apple or a banana. There is no in-between. Binary oppositions maintain an either/or -if/then proposition and are thereby able to eliminate doubt and ambiguity and to establish a certainty of meaning.By establishing a certainty of meaning, binary logic eliminates any need for individual interpretations. There is perfect concordance of understand- Derrida employed the terms logocentrism or phonocentrism to describe the Western tendency towards binary oppositions and the personal and interpersonal consequences of that tendency. Derrida felt that a need for certainty of meaning and a desire for idealized unification and perfect understanding between self and other drives logocentrism.Derrida pointed out that one of the consequences of a logocentric tendency is devaluation of contradictory evidence and exclusion of alternative meanings that do not fit within the binary structure. He argued that certainty of meaning is illusory and that "signified meaning. . .always signifies again and differs" (Derrida, 1978, p. 25). For example, an older use of the word "apple" is, as a broader term, used to describe all nuts and fruits (including bananas). "Apple" may also signify a cherished object, as in "the apple of my eye"; an object of temptation...

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Section: Binary Attributions Of Motivationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Borderline Attributions

Gregory

2007

APT

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“…Although the existence of such a phase has been challenged by Stern (1985) and other psychoanalytically oriented researchers (e.g. Lachmann & Beebe, 1989;Silverman, 2005), Pine (1986Pine ( , 2004 has continued to maintain that the concept is of great clinical significance. In positing that the infant during the symbiotic phase experiences ''moments of merger,' ' Pine (1986, p. 566) modified the concept but gave the infant's experience the same developmental weight as was originally hypothesized.…”

Section: The Capacity For Intimacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Impediments to Intimacy

Alperin

2006

Clin Soc Work J

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Research results indicate that intimate contact can profoundly affect health and well-being. The capacity for intimacy, however, differs from person to person. Given its origin in the symbiotic phase of development and its being influenced by the separation-individuation process, the capacity for intimacy is subject to disruption by fear of object loss and fear of merger. In this article, I examine these and other fears as impediments to intimacy. Because of the affective engagement between patient and analyst, these impediments can best be studied, understood, and treated within the psychoanalytic relationship. KEY WORDS: intimacy; love; psychoanalysis.Separation and connectedness exist simultaneously and make each other possible. At the same time I was in here and he was over there, we were also at one -M. Almost all clinicians would agree that intimacy is good. Most people desire it, and most consider it basic to well-being. Research results indicate that, compared with people not in intimate relationships, those in such relationships have lower mortality rates, are less likely to develop mental and physical illnesses, experience fewer stress-related symptoms, and have fewer accidents (Prager, 1995).

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“…Le processus de séparation-individuation commence dans la prime enfance mais se poursuit tout au long du développement et influence inévitablement l'autonomisation [21,26].…”

Section: Séparation-individuationunclassified

“…Ils développent peu à peu la perception que le monde est dangereux. Ces jeunes ont des capacités d'empathie diminuées [23,26]. Les adolescents engagés dans un détachement détaché abordent les relations dans la destructivité.…”

Section: Rhode Et Al Ont Trouvé Des Performances Verbales Inférieureunclassified

Réflexions sur le concept de détachement adolescentaire

Delhaye

Kempenaers

Burton

et al. 2011

Annales Médico-psychologiques, revue psychiatrique

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This paper aims to analyze the "adolescent detachment" which is a kind of autonomy where the emotional separation is dysfunctional. The detachment concept is described following a developmental view; attachment, separation-individuation and successful emotional separation are described. Several kinds of detachment are defined depending of the attachment type and of the bio-psycho-social context from which the adolescent is. So, we hypothesize that the detachment in an adolescent population with delinquent behaviours is a "detached detachment". The subject avoids any emotional feeling. The detachment for young people who are hospitalised in chid and adolescent psychiatry follows a depressive way.These adolescents cannot handle emotional rush. Finally the detachment for the general young population can evolve according a more anxious way. Then we can talk about an "attached detachment". Thanks to a best knowledge of the separation kind that the adolescents play, we will be able to help them more with the symptoms they show. The "detachment

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Mahler's Concepts of “Symbiosis” and Separation-Individuation: Revisited, Reevaluated, Refined

Cited by 46 publications

References 7 publications

Borderline Attributions

Borderline Attributions

Impediments to Intimacy

Réflexions sur le concept de détachement adolescentaire

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