Observations in Defence of the Object‐relations Theory of the Personality

Fairbairn, William

doi:10.1111/j.2044-8341.1955.tb00888.x

Cited by 44 publications

(39 citation statements)

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“…The capacity to integrate the good and bad parts of a love object into a sturdy sense of object constancy has long been considered the hallmark of the adult capacity to love (Fairbairn, 1954;S. Freud, 1923S.…”

Section: Therapeutic Vignettementioning

confidence: 99%

Angels in the nursery: The intergenerational transmission of benevolent parental influences

Lieberman

Padrón

Horn

et al. 2005

Infant Ment. Health J.

241

131

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Fraiberg and her colleagues (1975) introduced the metaphor "ghosts in the nursery" to describe the ways in which parents, by reenacting with their small children scenes from the parents' own unremembered early relational experiences of helplessness and fear, transmit child maltreatment from one generation to the next. In this article we propose that angels in the nursery-care-receiving experiences characterized by intense shared affect between parent and child in which the child feels nearly perfectly understood, accepted, and loved-provide the child with a core sense of security and self-worth that can be drawn upon when the child becomes a parent to interrupt the cycle of maltreatment. We argue that uncovering angels as growth-promoting forces in the lives of traumatized parents is as vital to the work of psychotherapy as is the interpretation and exorcizing of ghosts. Using clinical case material, we demonstrate the ways in which early benevolent experiences with caregivers can protect against even overwhelming trauma, and examine the reemergence of these benevolent figures in consciousness as an instrument of therapeutic change. Finally, we examine implications of the concept of "angels in the nursery" for research and clinical intervention.RESUMEN: Fraiberg y sus colegas (1975) introdujeron la metáfora "fantasmas en la habitación" para describir las maneras en que los padres transmiten el maltratamiento infantil de una generación a la otra, por medio de poner en escena, con sus niños pequeños, situaciones de sus propias -si bien no recordadasexperiencias de miedo y falta de ayuda en sus tempranas relaciones en sus tempranas relaciones. En este ensayo, proponemos que "ángeles en la habitación," experiencias del cuidado recibido, caracterizadas por un intenso y compartido afecto entre padre o madre e infante, en las cuales el infante se siente casi perfectamente comprendido, aceptado y amado, proveen a éste con un sentido central de seguridad y autovalor al que se puede recurrir cuando el infante se convierte en padre o madre, con el fin de interrumpir el ciclo de maltratamiento. Sostenemos que dejar al descubierto "ángeles" como una fuerza que promueve el crecimiento en las vidas de padres o madres traumatizados es tan vital para el trabajo de la sicoterapia como la interpretación y el exorcismo de "fantasmas." Por medio del uso de material de casos clínicos, demostramos las maneras por medio de las cuales las tempranas experiencias benevolentes con quienes nos prestaban el cuidado pueden proteger aun contra el trauma abrumador. También examinamos la reaparición de estas imágenes benevolentes en la conciencia como un instrumento de cambio terapéutico.Support for the writing of this article was provided by the Coydog Foundation. Direct correspondence to: Alicia F. Lieberman, San Francisco General Hospital, Building 20, Suite 2100,1001 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110; e-mail: Alicialieberman@sfgh.org. Angels in the NurseryFinalmente, examinamos las implicaciones del concepto de "ángeles en l...

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Section: Therapeutic Vignettementioning

confidence: 99%

Angels in the nursery: The intergenerational transmission of benevolent parental influences

Lieberman

Padrón

Horn

et al. 2005

Infant Ment. Health J.

241

131

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Self-consciousness develops along with overcoming dependence on the object. In other words, self-consciousness emerges out Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------152 of the developmental transition from total dependency to relative autonomy as described by object relations theorists such as Fairbairn (1952), Guntrip (1969), andWinnicott (1971). It is currently understood from infant research (Stern, 1985), for example, that the sense of self as ''I-subject'' occurs around 18 months of age, at the time the child has the capacity to carry internalized object representations (pp 144-145).…”

Section: Minolli and Tricoli's Hegelian Third As Solution To The Probmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organizational Change and the Analytic Third: Locating and Attending to Unconscious Organizational Psychodynamics

Diamond

2007

Psychoanal Cult Soc

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This article examines the concept of the analytic third in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytically informed organizational change. The analytic third is often defined as the psychological (triangular) space between self and other, subject and object, fantasy and reality -the third dimension that emerges from two persons fully engaged in the exploration of unconscious meanings, reasons, motives and actions. In neo-Kleinian object relations, it is viewed as the intersubjective dimension of transference and counter-transference, or the emergence in analytic work of the observation and experience of ''I-as-subject'' and ''Me-as-object'' (Ogden, 1994). The analytic third is what we create when we make genuine contact with one another at a deeper emotional level of experience whether in dyads, groups, communities, or organizations. It might be understood as akin to but not synonymous with Winnicott's (1971) notion of the transitional and potential space, where culture, play, creativity and imagination, reside. A case illustration is provided to better articulate the nature of the analytic third in the processes of observing, participating, and intervening in organizations.

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“…A result of this is that "women may have more difficulty experiencing themselves as separate, and a greater tendency toward psychological merger in intimate relationships" (Burch, 1982, p. 202). Intimate relationships involving two women are theorize::l to be more likely to experience problems with psychological merger than are heterosexual or gay male couples where the male tendency toward autonomy balances the relationship (Decker, 1984;Krestan and Bepko, 1980 (Fairbairn, 1952;Mahler, 1974) saw ego development as movement from merger with the mother to the mature ideal of an autonomous self. A recent theoretical proposal by Stem ( 1983) retains the 'continuum' concept of development while reversing the direction of movement.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Psychodynamic theorists such as Fairbairn (1952), Mahler (1974, Jacobson (1964), Ke.mberg (1976), Kohut (1977), and others have sought to explain human development in tenns of people's relationships with others. 'Ille tenn 'object relations' refers to internal representations of people or parts of people which form the basis of relational capacities.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sex role traits and psychological merger in lesbian relationships

Dahlstrom¹

2000

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Observations in Defence of the Object‐relations Theory of the Personality

Cited by 44 publications

References 0 publications

Angels in the nursery: The intergenerational transmission of benevolent parental influences

Angels in the nursery: The intergenerational transmission of benevolent parental influences

Organizational Change and the Analytic Third: Locating and Attending to Unconscious Organizational Psychodynamics

Sex role traits and psychological merger in lesbian relationships

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