Mahler - Object Relations Pers Theory Flashcards
Aim and How
She looked at disturbed babies and then normal babies and their caregivers in a naturalistic setting, looking at age-specific, regularly occurring changes in the child’s behaviour in relation to its caregiver and the outside world.
Wanted to understand how inner representations of get self and the other develop within the context of interpersonal interactions between the caregiver and the child, resulting in an integrated sense of self
Psychological birth
First three weeks of postnatal life - third year
Child achieving ability to sense self as a separate individual from the primary caregiver
An accomplishment that leads to ultimately establishing a sense of identity
3 developmental stage and 4 sub-stages
- autism
- symbiosis
- separation-individuation
- differentiation
- practicing
- rapprochement
- on the road to constancy/libidinal object constancy
3 stages and 4 sub-stages of psychological birth
Normal autism Normal symbiosis Separation-individuation - differentiation - practicing - rapprochement - on the road to constancy/libidinal object constancy
Normal autism
3-4 weeks
Normal autism - egg analogy
Unhatched bird egg analogy - in egg and can feed itself, satisfies its nutritional needs autistically without a regard for external reality as its food source is inside its shell
Same like baby- when inside, relies on mother, but once outside can no longer rely on mother and is confronted by the outside world.
Normal autism - Omnipotent state
Mother is powerful and all encompassing as it reflects the infant’s omnipotent state
Omnipotent state - like a shell - involves the lack of awareness around the effort made to satisfy one’s needs while still assuming that one’s needs will always be satisfied
Normal autism - the first three weeks
Klein - first three weeks is traumatic
Mahler - sleep like states more than states of arousal.
Most time spent satisfying needs and reducing unpleasant tensions
Primary narcissism - aloof to presence of others and their needs.
Objectless stage - infant just searching for breast
Normal symbiosis
4-5th month
Realizes they can’t satisfy their own needs, needs to develop symbiotic relationship between infant and mother
Infant behaves and functions as if mom and infant as a dual unity, an omnipotent system
Assumed symbiotic relationship to the infant, but not really, since the mother doesn’t need the infant but the infant does need the mother
The symbiosis is the mutual cuing of the mother and the infant
Mother need to coordinate needs around baby’s
Infant sends mom cues and mom responds to them
Mom becomes familiar face and used for satisfaction, comfort and pleasure and the infant can pick up on facial cues regarding happiness or distress - mutual cueing
Auxiliary ego - mom takes care of baby selectively according to cues and baby starts to associate mother with regulating internal states
Social smile - indicates attachment to caregiver
Separation-individuation
4/5th month - 30/36th week (up till and after green years of age)
Separation refers to the emergence of self from the symbolic relationship with the caregiver,
Individuation refers to the individual characteristics and achievements that define identity
SEPERATION AND AUTONOMY
Must deal with independence and loss of omnipotence and delusions of grandeur, and must confront the outside world, which is see. As more threatening in this stage than previous two
No more dual unity
Begin to develop feelings related to the construction of a personal identity
Differentiation
5-7/10th month
More awareness from infant
Bodily breakaway from mother and symbiotic unity
Smile at mother to create bond
Manage to differentiate from their mothers successfully if psychologically healthy infant
Will be more curious, won’t be scared of strangers,
Can build up confident expectation and basic trust with caregiver and the outside world
Practicing
7/10th - 15/16th month
Physically moves away from mother, can seperate own body from that of the mother, does so by running away, crawling, leaning on objects, pulling itself up, climbing
More autonomous self and can do things on their own now but checks in with the caregiver all the time ass a secure base
Continue to take in more of the world, finds it fascinating and exciting and not as scary and threatening as before
More physical and separate games - running and being caught by caregiver
Move from sensorimotor to representational thought
Healthy narcissism and beginning sense of self esteem
Rapprochement
16 - 25months
More motor and cognitive development, now sees the sepateness between self and mom and senses lack of omnipotence and reliance on mom.
Active approach back to caregiver, back to the dual unity and connection physiologically and psychologically
Realizes it can’t do so completely and successfully, so fights with mother - rapprochement crisis
More likely to show separation anxiety in this stage compared to all the previous ones
Libidinal object constancy/ on the road to object constancy
Occurs over the 3rd year of life
Advances in representational thought and use of language
If caregiver has produced soothing, gratifying, organizing function for baby then internal representation can develop
Baby will then be able to think of the caregiver when they are not present, and won’t rely on caregiver as much to be around all the time
Internalization is the process taken up for loss of original relationship with mother
Learn to consolidate individuality, self, can form other object relationships, can function without mother,
Absence does not mean neglect and presence does not mean engulfing
Fathers
More active and physical role while mother provides soothing and comfort
Critique
Validity of symbiotic phase - willing to interact from birth and evolutionary behaviors such as crying, sucking, etc
Infants seek proximity to their caregivers,a s oppose to the clinging, ambivalence and aggression displayed by Mahler.
