3.2. Klein

Overview of Object Relations Theory

• Emphasizes the mother-child relationship

• Built on observations of young children (first 4-6 months after birth)

• Infant drives (hunger, sex) are object-driven, with the breast serving as a prototype for later relationships

• Role of fantasy in infants' interpersonal relationships

Biography of Melanie Reizes Klein

• Born in Vienna in 1882, youngest of four children, with complex family relationships

• Experienced feelings of rejection from parents; mother ran a shop selling plants and reptiles

• Did not have a happy marriage; married Arthur Klein at age 21

• Three children: Melitta, Hans, and Erich

• Entered psychoanalysis after mother's death in 1914, marking a turning point in her life

Work and Contributions

• Established a psychoanalytic practice in Berlin after separating from her husband

• First in Freud's circle to psychoanalyze children directly

• Published "The Psycho-Analysis of Children" in 1932

• Died in England in 1960, leaving a significant legacy in psychoanalysis

Introduction to Object Relations Theory

• Related to Freud’s instinct theory but differs in emphasis:

  • Consistent patterns of interpersonal relationships

  • Intimacy and nurturing as prime motives of human behavior

  • Infants' real or fantasized early relations with the mother serve as a model for later relationships

Psychic Life of the Infant

• Importance of first 4-6 months in development

• Infants possess an active fantasy life related to id instincts

• Drives have objects (e.g., hunger drive has the "good breast" as its object)

• Objects are internalized or introjected into the child's fantasy world

Positions

• Klein's concept of positions describes ways infants deal with internal and external objects

• Distinguishes between paranoid-schizoid position (first 3-4 months) and depressive position (from 5-6 months)

Paranoid-Schizoid Position

• Experiences of persecution and splitting good and bad objects

• Influences ambivalent feelings towards single individuals later

Depressive Position

• Anxiety about losing loved objects; develops empathy

• Understanding that good and bad can coexist in the same person

Psychic Defense Mechanisms

• Mechanisms include introjection, projection, splitting, and projective identification

Introjection

• Infants incorporate experiences from external objects into themselves

• Good and dangerous objects are internalized, impacting mental states

Projection

• Infants ascribe their own feelings to another person, managing internal and external impulses

Splitting

• Distinction between the "good me" and "bad me" helps manage conflicting impulses

• Can lead to positive or negative effects on a child's development

Projective Identification

• Involves identifying with a projected aspect of oneself, influencing adult relations

Internalizations

• Internalized aspects of the external world shape one's self and identity

• Ego and superego develop earlier than Freud suggested, leading to complex psychological dynamics

Superego

• Emerges earlier and is characterized by harshness, influencing guilt and antisocial tendencies

Oedipus Complex

• Begins earlier than Freud's description, forming core relational dynamics between parents

Additional Theoretical Views

• Margaret Mahler: Development stages from security to autonomy; emphasis on separation-individuation.

• Heinz Kohut: Focused on self and narcissistic needs in relationships.

• John Bowlby: Noted attachment theory's stages and the importance of caregiver relationships.

• Mary Ainsworth: Developed the Strange Situation technique, identifying attachment styles.

Psychotherapy Approaches

• Klein advocated for psychoanalysis in children through play therapy

• Aim to reduce depressive anxieties and fears through therapeutic engagement

Related Research

• Investigates links between object relations and disorders, adult relationships, and attachment styles

Critique of Object Relations Theory

• High practicality and internal consistency but moderate on generating research

• Klein's theories lack parsimony

Concept of Humanity

• Views emphasize determinism, causality, social influences, and a mix of optimism and pessimism

Reflection on Attachment Styles

• Personal experiences and reflection on attachment styles encourage self-awareness and understanding of relationships.

Attachment Styles Interpretation

• Secure, dismissing, preoccupied, and fearful styles outline different relational dynamics and self-images.