Ch. 3 Transgenerational Models: Object Relations/Psychodynamic FT

Question 1

Object Relations:

What theories does Object Relations stem from?

Answer 1

• applies psychoanalytic principles and post-Freudian object relations theories to work with families
• families are viewed as a system made up of sets of relationships that function in ways unique to the family

Question 2

Object Relations:

Goals of therapy

Answer 2

• insight and working through
• not directed toward symptom relief but toward helping the family move through its developmental phases with improved ability to work as a family to differentiate between, and meet the needs of, each family member.
• specific goals for each member are open ended and can change as growth occurs

Question 3

Object Relations theoretical concepts:

rejecting v. exciting object

Answer 3

• Rejecting object gives rise to the antilibidinal ego

- Exciting object gives rise to the libidinal ego

Question 4

Object Relations theoretical concepts:

antilibidinal ego v. libidinal ego

Answer 4

• Antilibidinal ego is characterized by rage, aggression, and contempt
• libidinal ego is characterized by need, excitement, and longing
• they are repressed systems and operate as stuck, closed systems that coerce their objects to fit in an image corresponding to the unsatisfactory early experiences
• unconscious and gratified within the self and and do not learn for experiences in the here and now
• seek outlets through repetition of behaviors in the present in relations to the others onto which they are projected

Question 5

Object Relations theoretical concepts:

central ego

Answer 5

• one of three parts of the ego
• is conscious, adaptable, and free to deal with future experiences with attachment figures in reasonable ways
• maintains its own object (the ideal object)

Question 6

Object Relations theoretical concepts:

ideal object

Answer 6

• Maintained in the central ego

- a neutral object freed from exciting and rejecting aspects

Question 7

Object Relations theoretical concepts:

Fairbairn asserted that the fundamental human drive was the need for what?

Answer 7

to be in relationship (attachment)

OR doesn’t focus on the intrapsychic experience of individuals

Question 8

Object Relations theoretical concepts:

Melanie Klein

Answer 8

Came up with the idea of splitting of all good and all bad objects onto people (concept of projection and explains why people in families or groups treat each other as they do).

Question 9

Object Relations theoretical concepts:

Exciting ego

Answer 9

• one of three parts of the ego

- unconscious, inflexible, and in a state of longing for a tempting but unsatisfying object

Question 10

Object Relations theoretical concepts:

Rejecting Ego

Answer 10

• one of the three parts of the ego

- unconscious, inflexible, and frustrated by its rejecting object

Question 11

Object Relations theoretical concepts:

What are the three parts of the ego?

Answer 11

• Central
• Rejecting
• Exciting

Question 12

Object Relations theoretical concepts:

Projection

Answer 12

An unconscious defense in which unwanted feelings or beliefs about oneself are split off and then attributed to others

Question 13

Object Relations theoretical concepts:

Projective identification

Answer 13

An interactive and dysfunctional defense mechanism, defined by the object relations model, in which unwanted characteristics of the self are unconsciously projected on (attributed to) another person who colludes by behaving as if these projections are true of them.

Ex: a father has an impulse to engage in deviant or illegal behavior, but the impulse causes him anxiety. He unconsciously projects the impulse onto his son and subtly reinforces his son’s acting-out behaviors.

Question 14

Object Relations theoretical concepts:

What are Fairbairn’s 3 pairs of ego positions

Answer 14

1. The Whole (central) Ego relating to the Good (ideal) Object
2. The Antilibidinal (rejecting) Ego relating to the (rejecting) Bad Object
3. The Libidinal (exciting) Ego relating to the Exciting Object

Question 15

OR theoretical concepts:

The whole ego relating to the good object

Answer 15

is the healthy inner child relating to the patient and nurturing inner parent. This is the part of the inner world that object relations therapists try to expand and grow.

Question 16

OR theoretical concepts:

The Antilibidinal Ego relating to the Bad Object

Answer 16

is the depressed, angry or hopeless inner child relating to the rejecting or neglectful inner parent. Whenever someone speaks in a tantrum-like way they are speaking from the Antilibidinal Ego, and they are speaking to the Bad Object. Whenever someone is overly critical and harshly judgmental they are speaking from the Bad Object part of their personality, and are speaking to the Antilibidinal Ego (hopeless inner child).

Question 17

OR theoretical concepts:

The Libidinal Ego relating to the Exciting Object

Answer 17

is the gullible and overly hopeful inner child relating to the exciting over-promising inner parent. Whenever a person goes back to their cheating or abusive spouse they are operating from their Libidinal Ego and relating to the Exciting Object in their inner worlds. Whenever they are in an addiction they are treating whatever they are addicted to as if it were an Exciting Object.

Question 18

OR treatment:

Insight and working through

Answer 18

Need to understand the underlying, unconscious dynamic issues that affect their relationships so that they can find more productive ways of behaving and interacting

Question 19

OR treatment:

Transference

Answer 19

psychoanalytic concept that describes the client’s unconscious tendency to attribute to other family members and to the therapist unresolved drives, attitudes, feelings, and fantasies from previous (often parental) relationships and reenact them in the therapy session.

Question 20

OR treatment:

Interpretation

Answer 20

• The therapist’s hypotheses, given as statements to the family, about the historic underlying causes of current difficulties.
• The goal of interpretation is to make the unconscious material available to the family for conscious understanding or insight

Question 21

OR treatment:

Affect

Answer 21

Ts pay close attention to family member’s affect as it is a signal from the unconscious.
- families learn and change most when interpretations are linked to material expressed with affect

Question 22

OR treatment:

Countertransference and T’s emotional reactions

Answer 22

• Countertransference can help or hurt the therapy. Like Bowenian therapy, the OR therapist needs to have an awareness of her own internal processes.
• use T’s emotional reactions as therapeutic cues

Question 23

OR treatment:

Henry Dicks and couples therapy

Answer 23

• thinks that the selection of a spouse arises from the central ego system and the need to find an ideal object in your partner.
• the central ego, rather than seeing the other person as he is, expects the person to conform to the ideal object constructed in the ego.
• the spouses experience each other as partly ideal and partly exciting and rejecting, as they did the internalized objects from the FOO

Question 24

OR treatment:

Modalities

Answer 24

T can intervene at any level of the system (intrapsychic of individual, interpersonal of family, or group)

Question 25

OR: James Framo

Answer 25

Frame is broadened from individuals to include relationships and the behaviors used to maintain them
- OR bridges the gap between purely individual psychology and one that considers the whole family as an entity.

Question 26

OR James Framo

Modality seen in therapy

Answer 26

• expanded to see FOO
• Helps client uncover unconscious motives and correct distorted perceptions based on early experiences within the family that have continued to interfere with intimate relationships
• working with the FOO the distortions are taken back to the source

Question 27

OR James Framo:
Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

Internalized objects

Answer 27

belief that the human need for acceptance and approval from one’s parents is so strong that the child will sacrifice his/her own ego identity to maintain the relationship

• through repeated interactions with caretakers, individuals unconsciously internalize representations of their parents or caretakers (objects)
• introjects = internalized objects which are either all good or all bad

Question 28

OR James Framo: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

3 kind of External objects

Answer 28

1. ideal object, which leads to feelings of satisfaction
2. rejecting object, which leads to anger
3. exciting object, which leads to longing

Question 29

OR James Framo: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

3 parts of the ego

Answer 29

1. Central ego - conscious, adaptable, satisfied with its ideal object
2. Rejecting ego - unconscious, inflexible, frustrated by its rejecting object
3. Exciting ego - unconscious, inflexible, in a state of longing for a tempting but unsatisfying object

Question 30

OR James Framo: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

Relating to others and internalized objects

Answer 30

The ability to relate to others in mature, independent, and healthy ways largely depends on the quality of their internalized objects

Ex: if securely attached to caretakers then over time the child’s inner representations gradually become increasingly closer to reality and she is capable of forming healthy relationships with others and of parenting healthy children

Question 31

OR James Framo: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

Damage done to relationships by distorted introjects

Answer 31

Distorted introjects from a parents past can influence how they parent their children; they may be overly rejecting or inappropriately exciting

• the disowned parts of their personalities would be unconsciously projected on their child
• the child, desperate to save their relationship, takes on those disowned parts and exhibits behaviors consistent with the projections (projective identification)
• maintains the child’s relationship with the parent but stunts his emotional growth and he eventually projects those internalized unacceptable traits onto his mate.

Question 32

OR James Framo: Assessment and treatment

Answer 32

• gets an idea of the couples current problem and then a brief history of their FOOs
• suggests bringing FOOs in so that the distortions can be addressed directly with the family members
• insight and working through
• clients reclaims their split-off parts and are less likely to project them onto their spouses or children… establish more honest, open, adult relationships with their family members
• see couples in groups
• once they reach the “dirty middle” (a stalemate in progress) T invites the couples to ask their FOOs to come in for family sessions

Question 33

OR James Framo: Assessment and treatment

Family sessions

Answer 33

• done over the weekend
• T meets with the FOO without the partner so that the FOO can’t focus on the marital issues of the couple - sessions are taped and shared with the partner so they don’t feel like they missed anything

Question 34

OR James Framo: Therapeutic techniques

Answer 34

1. listening
2. empathy
3. interpretation
4. therapeutic neutrality