Object Relations Therapy and Techniques - Research Paper Example

Object Relations Therapy and Techniques Affiliation The purpose of this research is to the effect of object relationstherapy and technique. It is a theory that explains how the characters displayed by adults were influenced by the childhood experience. The first phase talks about object relation therapy in a psychoanalytic and psychodynamic view of this technique and how it affects the ego of an individual. The second phase talks about the history and different theories associated with object relations therapy. Object Relations Therapy and Techniques Object relations theory in psychoanalytic psychology is a technique of developing a conscious and unconscious mind of the human character. This is relative to the surroundings in the course of childhood. Furthermore, object relations theory in relation to psychodynamic theory advocates how people relate to situations and to each other in adulthood, this is brought about by family experiences gained during childhood. For instance, a grownup who experienced abuse or neglect in childhood would anticipate for related behaviours from others that remind them of the abuse and negligence from their past. The events and images of individuals ate turned into objects within the subconscious mind and are carried into adulthood. Moreover, these objects in the subconscious are used to forecast people’s conduct in their social interactions and relationships (Clarkin, Yeomans and Kernberg, 2007). Internal Object This is the psychic structure that is formed from earlier experiences the person has with significant custodians in his or her earlier life. Therefore, through internalization these objects are captured in a person’s personality; therefore, traces of the ancient relationship are traceable in one’s personality. This internal object is neither a representation nor memory, and rather it is an integral part of a person’s being. Individual’s choice and interactions with other people in the present life are some of the ways internal objects can be expressed. However, internal objects can also be changed depending on relationships with current external objects (Gurman and Kniskern, 2014). The Self The Self encompasses multiple components including the internal objects. One of them is the old-fashioned concept of self-image as an exclusive tool that moderates self-control by its control of sphincters, motility, and which contemplates associations with the outside world, and how it impacts on states, Secondly, parts and object of personality are brought together by the feelings suitable to the child’s know-hows of the object relationships, and lastly the internal objects. Thus, self refers to a combination of internal objects and self-image in a dynamic and unique relation that contains the personality and provides a sense of self-perception that remains frequent and lasts long. The Self in Relation with Others Object relations is a comprehensive practical term that extends the interpersonal and intra-psychic dimensions. It talks about the systems of inter-relationships and interactions among different components of the self, which are expressed by present relationships with other individuals. However, additional personality of the self, internal objects and external objects influence each mutually in any relationship. Therefore, internal psychic object is in frequent interactions with exterior relationships. Literature Review The first person to form a recent theory of object relations was Otto Rank, this was in the late 1020s. Moreover, in 1952 it was formulated by Ronald Fairbairn. However, the first thought emerged in 1917 with Ferenczi and later on Rank. Additionally, British psychologists like Melanin Klein, Harry Guntrip, Donald Winnicott, Scott Stuart and Ronald Fairbairn and many more stretched the object relations theory for the period of 1940s and 1950s. Whereas Fairbairn promoted the term object relations, Melanie Klein’s work is identified commonly with British object relation and object relations theory terms. However, Klein realised that the proposed psychodynamic battleground by Freud tends to occur during childhood. However, its origins are dissimilar from the ones proposed by Freud. The bonds between the mother and infant are so intense and deep that they establish the focus the structure of the baby’s drives partake. Therefore, some of the interactions tend to provoke some strong emotions as the baby develops and comes to understand that the mother is more than just a breast from which he or she feeds. Whereas some tend to provoke frustration and anger. Thus, the independence of the new-born is overwhelmed by these reactions. Klein believes that how a child resolves conflict is reflected in the adulthood character. Freud identified individuals with the word object to classifying people as objects of drives. In addition, Fairbairn did not agree with Freud’s and said that humans were not after contentment of the drive, but they rather pursue the contentment that comes relatively to real others. Thus, Fairbairn and Klein were on the same side. However, different from Fairbairn, Klein always said that she was not leaving from Freudian theory. Nevertheless, she was trying to elaborate early developmental occurrences dependable on Freudian theory (Santos and Shanahan, 2002). In the London psychoanalytic community, a battle of loyalties between Klein, Anna Freud, ego psychology and object relations theory. Further, Anna Freud greatly influenced the American psychoanalysis in the 1940s to 1960s. Improvement in the American ego psychology was broadened in the works of Kris, Rapaport, Jacobson, Hartmann, Loewenstein, Erikson and Mahler. Additionally, those who did not take sides were referred to as “middle schools” in London, and its members comprised of D.W. Winnicott and Michael Balint. Whereas in England a certain division established between Melanie Klein and the school of Anna Freud, which influenced psychoanalytic politics globally. Anna Freud was popular within the Americans while Klein was popular in South America. Moreover, Fairbairn reviewed a lot of Freud’s idea of the mind. Fairbairn recognized those individuals who were abused during childhood tend to initialize the experience. Thus his main defence is that survivors of abuse tend to take all the bad upon themselves, and they have a habit of believing they are morally bad, and their custodians are always right. Kleinian Object Relations Theory Unconscious Phantasy Klein named the physiological feature of instinct unconscious phantasy. The term phantasy is a psychic life that moves out towards the sphere. Unconscious Phantasy in the child’s developing mental life is improved as the child comes into contact with reality. Thus, when a child starts to interact with the outside world, he engages himself in challenging his phantasy in a real setting. Therefore unconscious phantasy plays an important role in developing the capability to think. According to Bion’s terms, the phantasy image is a presumption that would not be a thought until the experience joins with an understanding in the world of knowledge. Projective Identification Projection aids the individuality to overcome nervousness by clearing it of badness and danger. Furthermore, introjection of the decent object can also be used against anxiety by the ego. Thus, the procedures of splitting off portions of the self and then bulging them into entities and the introjection effect on the entities are essential for abnormal object-relation and normal growth. Therefore, these processes can be termed as projective identification. Klein believed that this function contributes to normal being of the child, Inclusive of the growth of object relations and ego structures. This method acts as a mode of communication and defence. The Paranoid-schizoid and Depressive Positions The paranoid-schizoid and depressive positions happen in the oral, pre-oedipal phase of growth. In comparison to Fairbairn and later on Guntrip, Klein believed that both the bad and good objects were developed by the children. Additionally, the internalization of decent objects is important in the growth of a healthy ego function. Klein also adds that the depressive positions acts as the best mature form of mental organization and develops continuously during the course of life. Therefore, the depressive position takes place in the second quarter part of the year. However, paranoid-schizoid and depressive methods of experience remain to interact in the first years of infancy. The paranoid-schizoid situation is categorized by relationships of part objects. These objects are a part of splitting that occurs in phantasy. At this growth stage, experience is perceived as all bad or all good. Moreover, Klein records that the ego is lost once the object is split. He adds that the child who takes in the good breast is not alike to the child who phantasies damage of the bad breast. However, the fears of the paranoid-schizoid position are of a persecuting nature, anxiety of ego eradication (Masterson, 2013). Object Relations Psychotherapy According to John Sutherland, the relation between objects is more of a way of working than a theory. Thus, object relations tend to place the relationship between patient, and the therapist should be involved equally in deciding on the way of working. Moreover, while the patient and therapist link up in the duty of examining the internal worlds of patients and the effect it has on the patient’s relationships. Additionally, both the therapist and the patient are also in a relationship. Furthermore, the therapeutic relationship forms the basis where the patient’s difficulties and ways on how they relate are learned by the therapist. Thus, the therapist will then be able to notify patients on the experiences. In this way, therapists and patients have a shared relationship that they can learn and study from. The patient creates a present affiliation with the therapist that reveals the internal object affairs set that is perpetuated by their relationships. Thus the task of the therapists is to experience these present expressions of the relationships of entities by making themselves available to the feelings, fantasies and many more. This method of working is categorized by the use of what Freud named countertransference and transference. Further, object relations theory observes the patient’s transference as the appearance of their internal object relationships within the therapeutic dealings of the situation. Whereas countertransference is the ability of the therapist to interpret and fully understand the patient (Mallinckrodt, Porter and Kivlighan, 2005). Conclusion Concisely, object related theory has brought a great impact in the medical field. It has enabled physicians to understand one’s personality through examining the past experiences individuals had during childhood and how it affects how people relate to situations in their adulthood. These experiences also affect how individuals conduct themselves in social interactions and relationships. Reference Clarkin, J. F., Yeomans, F. E., & Kernberg, O. F. (2007). Psychotherapy for borderline personality: Focusing on object relations. American Psychiatric Pub. Gurman, A. S., & Kniskern, D. P. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of family therapy. Routledge. Mallinckrodt, B., Porter, M. J., & Kivlighan Jr, D. M. (2005). Client Attachment to Therapist, Depth of In-Session Exploration, and Object Relations in Brief Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 42(1), 85. Masterson, J. F., & Masterson, J. F. (2013). The real self: A developmental, self and object relations approach. Routledge. Santos, P., & Shanahan, M. (2002). Hypothesising object relations from image transitions. In ECAI (pp. 292-296). Read More