THEORY OF OBJECT

RELATION

BY – HARIOM GANGWAR

MSC NURSING I YR

PSYCHIATRIC NURSING

INTRODUCTION :OBJECT RELATIONS THEORY IS A PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY.

RONALD FAIRBAIRN COINED THE TERM "OBJECT RELATIONS

AND MELANIE KLEIN IS MOST COMMONLY IDENTIFIED WITH

THE TERM "OBJECT RELATIONS THEORY"

IT DESCRIBES THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A MIND AS ONE

GROWS IN RELATION TO OTHERS IN THE ENVIRONMENT.

THE THEORY MAY BE DEFINED AS “A SYSTEM OF

PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATION BASED ON THE PREMISE

THAT THE MIND COMPRISES ELEMENTS TAKEN IN FROM

OUTSIDE, PRIMARILY ASPECTS OF THE FUNCTIONING OF

OTHER PERSONS."

THE THEORY EMPHASIZES INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS,

PRIMARILY IN THE FAMILY AND ESPECIALLY BETWEEN

MAJOR CONCEPTS:

• THEORY GUIDES INNER WORLD EXPLORATION AND

RECOGNIZES THE INTROJECTED PERSONS OF THE PAST

LIVING WITHIN THE PATIENT’S MIND, COMPRISING THE

PERSON’S PSYCHIC STRUCTURE (MOHL PC, 2008)

INTROJECTS :

INTROJECTS REFERS TO THE INTERNALIZED IMAGES OF

OTHERS WITHIN THE PATIENT.

FOCUS OF ATTENTION OF THE THEORY

CONT...

OBJECTS : PEOPLE IN THE EXTERNAL WORLD WITH

WHOM AN INFANT ,CHILD AND ADULT INTERACT, OR

PORTIONS OF THEIR PERSONALITIES

INTERNAL OBJECTS : REPRESENTATION OR MENTAL IMAGE

OF SOME ONE IN THE EXTERNAL WORLD

EXTERNAL OBJECTS : AN EXISTING PERSON

OBJECT RELATION:“OBJECT RELATIONS” REFERS

TO INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS OR SPECIFIC INTRAPSYCHIC

STRUCTURES.

CONT....

REPRESENTATION: REFERS TO THE WAY THE PERSON HAS OR

POSSESSES AN OBJECT.

PSYCHOLOGICAL POSITIONS: KLEIN EXPLAINS TWO

TWO PSYCHOLOGICAL “POSITIONS” DURING THE FIRST

YEAR OF LIFE.

• PARANOID–SCHIZOID POSITION - DURING THE FIRST 6

MONTHS OF LIFE

• DEPRESSIVE POSITION - DURING THE SECOND 6 MONTHS.

PARANOID–SCHIZOID POSITION:

IN HER/HIS VERY EARLY MONTHS ,THE INFANT

EXPERIENCES AND EXPRESSES OVERWHELMING AND

CONTRADICTORY FEELINGS OF LOVE AND HATE

,PLEASURE AND DESTRUCTION ,THROUGH THE

ACTIONS OF FEEDING AND EVACUATING , “GOOD”

EXPERIENCES ARE INTERNALIZED THROUGH

RECEIVING LOVE AND NOURISHMENT FROM THE

BREAST , “BAD” FEELINGS ARE EVACUATED THROUGH

URINE ,FAECES ,WIND, VOMIT . THE INFANT IS

ENGAGED IN A CONSTANT STRUGGLE TO MANAGE

HIS/HER FEELINGS .S/HE FEARS THAT THE BAD

FEELINGS

PARANOID–SCHIZOID POSITION:CONT...

S/HE FEARS THAT THE BAD FEELINGS WILL TAKE OVER AND

DESTROY GOOD INNER OBJECTS . THEREFORE , BAD FEELINGS

HAVE TO SEPARATE FROM GOOD FEELINGS (SPLITTING), THIS IS

OFTEN ACCOMPLISHED BY THE PHANTASY OF EVACUATING THE BAD

FEELINGS INTO MOTHER (PROJECTION).HOWEVER THIS CARRIES

WITH IT THE DANGER THAT THE MOTHER WILL BECOME BAD ,AND

THE BAD FEELINGS ARE THEN EXPERIENCED AS COMING FROM

HER (PROJECTIVE IDENTIFICATION).

AN EXPERIENCE OF HUNGER ,LONGING AND LOVE FOR THE BREAST

AS A SOURCE OF NOURISHMENT MAY BE FOLLOWED BY FEELING OF

SATISFACTION , PLEASURE AND LOVE AFTER A LONG FEED .THEN

THE INFANT FEELS HER/HIMSELF TO BE GOOD AFTER RECEIVING

SOMETHING GOOD (INTROJECTION).

PARANOID–SCHIZOID POSITION:CONT...

BUT THE INFANTS HUNGER MAY ALSO GIVE RISE AFTER TO

AN AGGRESSIVE PHANTASY OF SWALLOWING EVERYTHING

FROM THE BREAST, DRAINING IT DRY THROUGH GREED AND

AGGRESSION . THE INFANT THEN FEELS GUILTY AND FEARS

BEING PUNISHED FOR HER/HIS GREED . S/HE MAY THEN

PHANTASISE THAT THE BREAST WITHHOLDING FOOD TO

PUNISH INFANT ,LEADING TO MORE RAGE, AGGRESSION AND

GUILT .OR THE INFANT MAY PROJECT HIS/HER RAGE AND

AGGRESSION ONTO BREAST/MOTHER AND FEAR THAT

BREAST WILL ATTACK THE INFANT , SPOIL INSIDE OF

INFANT’S BODY –KLEIN TERMS THIS PRESECUTORY ANXIETY .

DEPRESSIVE POSITION: THIS IS BEGINNING OF SYMBOL FORMATION , SO

THAT THE INFANT CAN TOLERATE PERIODS OF

SEPARATION AND DELAYED GRATIFICATION IF S/HE

HAS BEEN ABLE TO INTERNALISE ENOUGH

EXPERIENCE OF GOOD MOTHER/BREAST, I.E IF THE

GOOD INNER OBJECT IS SUFFICIENTLY SECURE

THE INFANT CAN TOLERATE ABSENCES OF THE

EXTERNAL OBJECTS .

THESE STEPS TOWARDS AN INTEGRATED SELF

AND OTHERS RELATIONSHIP EVOKE IMMENSE

GUILT IN THE INFANT AS S/HE REALISES THAT THE

MOTHER S/HE ATTTACKS AND HATES IS THE SAME

MOTHER S/HE LOVES AND NEEDS . KLEIN TERMS

THIS THE MOVEMENT FROM RELATING TO PART

EVOLUTION OF OBJECT RELATIONS THEORY:

• PSYCHOANALYSIS FOCUSED ON DRIVES. VIEW OF HUMAN

NATURE PESSIMISTIC, AN ONGOING CONFLICT TO RESOLVE

DRIVES: PLEASURE(SEXUAL) AND AGGRESSION; MASTERY

AND COMPETENCE

• EGO PSYCHOLOGY VIEWS HUMANS AS LESS DRIVE RIDDEN

AND CAPABLE OF ADAPTING TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT TO

MEET NEEDS

• OBJECT RELATIONS’ THEORISTS LOOKS AT HUMAN

RELATIONSHIPS AS KEY IN FORMING PERSONALITY AND

FACILITATING ADAPTION TO THE ENVIRONMENT

EFFECTS OF EARLY NURTURING:

• CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES WITH ABUSE, POVERTY,

NEGLECT, AND FAMILY STRUGGLES CORRELATE WITH

LATER HEALTH PROBLEMS (PHYSICAL AND MENTAL

HEALTH)

• RELATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF INFANTS AND CHILDREN

AFFECT CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM MECHANISMS THAT

GOVERN PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL

RESPONSES TO STRESS

• ATTACHMENT DIFFICULTIES DURING THE FIRST 3 YEARS

OF LIFE IMPACT BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND CAN

CONTINUE TO DO SO THROUGH AGE 20

EFFECTS OF EARLY NURTURING (CONT.)

• ANIMAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT RECEIVING WARM

AND RESPONSIVE ATTENTION FROM A CARE PROVIDER

PREVENTS ELEVATIONS IN STRESS HORMONES

–MORE RECEPTOR SITES FOR STRESS-MEDIATING

NEUROCHEMICALS ARE PRODUCED

• INSECURE RELATIONSHIPS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH

HIGHER STRESS HORMONE PRODUCTION (CORTISOL)

IMPLICATIONS TO NURSING:

• THE OBJECT RELATIONS THEORY HELPS

UNDERSTANDING OF CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOUR AND

GUIDES NURSING PRACTICE.

• THE THEORY PROVIDES CONCEPTUAL MODEL FOR

PRACTICING PSYCHODYNAMIC FAMILY.

REFERENCES

• PSYCHIATRY, THIRD EDITION. EDRS. ALLAN TASMAN, JERALD KAY,

JEFFREY A. LIEBERMAN, MICHAEL B. FIRST AND MARIO MAJ.JOHN

WILEY & SONS, LTD, 2008.

• HTTP://WWW.CURRENTNURSING.COM/NURSING_THEORY/OBJECT_R

ELATIONS_THEORY.HTML

• HTTP://SLIDEPLAYER.COM/SLIDE/8404259/

• HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/OBJECT_RELATIONS_THEORY

• WWW.LIFEFORCE-

CENTRE.CO.UK/.../AN_INTRODUCTION_TO_MELANIE_KLEIN_AND_OB

JECT_RELATIO...

THANK YOU