This study was undertaken to help determine the usefulness of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) for providing information regarding a person's object relations. Subjects were 136 college students (56 males, 80 females) ranging in age from 18 to 48. Subjects were administered the Rorschach, the Self Object Scale (SOS), and the MMPI. The Rorschach was scored using Blatt, Brenneis, Schimek, and Glick's (1976a) manual for scoring the level of object relations (Developmental Analysis of the Concept of the Object Scale-DACOS), the SOS scored as Blatt, Chevron, Quinlan, and Wein's manual (1981) directs, and the MMPI scored in the standardized manner using college-age norms. MANOVA's on the SOS and the DACOS resulted in significant effects for sex on MMPI scales 6, 7, and 8. Sex differences on MMPI scales 6 and 4 were obtained for high/low level of object relations on the DACOS. Pearson correlations showed positive correlations for males between level of object relations on the SOS and MMPI scale 5, and negative correlations on MMPI scale 5 for females. For males positive correlations between the DACOS and MMPI scale 4 and negative correlations on MMPI scale 10 were noted. These results were discussed as pertaining to the socialization of males and females. The most puzzling finding was the lack of correlation between the DACOS and the SOS. This was discussed as possibly being a result of the effect of the Rorschach, which measures psychopathology, whereas the SOS may be a purer measure of object relations. The paucity and weakness of the results was attributed to the restricted variance of the population. Implications for future research included obtaining a larger sample from a normal population, establishing clear norms for object eolations measures, obtaining correlations between a measure of current functioning and the object relations measures as a step toward establishing cut-off scores for groups on the measures, and further exploration of the weights in the scoring categories "of Blatt's DACOS scale.

Na literatura psicológica, encontramos pesquisas realizadas com gêmeos visando estudar a influência de fatores genéticos versus ambientais na estruturação da personalidade e também no campo da psicopatologia. Entretanto, existem poucos relatos de pesquisas voltados para a interação intra-par de gêmeos e entre os gêmeos e seus cuidadores, especialmente em relação às questões edípicas. O fenômeno, tão estudado pela psicanálise, tem sido pouco investigado na vivência de situações triangulares entre os co-gêmeos e seus pais. O método de Observação Psicanalítica modelo Esther Bick inspirou o planejamento desta tese, que tem como objetivos: observar e descrever as relações objetais triangulares entre os gêmeos e seus pais durante o primeiro ano de vida; analisar a possibilidade de a triangulação edípica ocorrer prioritariamente entre o par de gêmeos; verificar se a \"presença real\" do co-gêmeo poderia exacerbar a vivência como \"terceiro excluído\" entre os gêmeos. Participaram cinco pares de gêmeos recém-nascidos e suas respectivas famílias, sendo dois pares masculinos(monozigoto e dizigoto), dois pares femininos (monozigoto e dizigoto) e um par de sexos diferentes. Foram realizadas visitas semanais com duração de uma hora cada, às residências dos gêmeos, durante o primeiro ano de vida, a fim de observar os gêmeos e seus cuidadores. A observadora pode presenciar o que se passava na relação intra-par de gêmeos, bem como entre os gêmeos e demais pessoas presentes. Após cada sessão de observação foi elaborado um relatório constando os comportamentos observados e as percepções da observadora em relação aos fatos. Foram estudados especialmente os seguintes fenômenos observados nas famílias de gêmeos: atendimento individual mãe-gêmeos; atendimento conjunto mãe-gêmeos; disputa de colo/atenção materna; atendimento pai-gêmeos; relacionamento intra-par de gêmeos. As relações triangulares envolvendo os co-gêmeos e seus pais foram analisadas, tendo como subsídio as teorias de Freud e Klein a respeito das questões edípicas. Foram percebidas quatro formas de relação triangular além do triângulo edípico filho-mãe-pai nas famílias estudadas. / In the psychological literature, we have found researches performed with twins where the aim was to study the influence of genetic factors versus environmental ones in the structuring of the personality and also in the field of the psychology. However, there are few reports of researches related to the twins\' intra-pair interaction and between the twins and their caretakers, especially in relation to the oedipal issues. The phenomenon, so studied by the psychoanalysis, has been little investigated in the experience of triangular situations between the co-twins and their parents. Esther Bick method of Psychoanalytic Observation model inspired the planning of this thesis, which has as its objectives: to observe and to describe the oppose triangular relationships between the twins and their parents during the first year of life; to analyze the possibility that the oedipal triangulation may happen essentially between the pair of twins; to verify if the \"real presence\" of the co-twin could exacerbate the existence as a \"third excluded\" between the twins. Five pairs of just born twins and their respective families participated in the study; among them we have two male pairs (monozygotic and dizygotic twins), two female pairs (monozygotic and dizygotic twins) and a pair of different sexes. Weekly visits were carried out with an hour duration each, to the twins\' residences, during the first year of life, in order to observe the twins and their caretakers. The observer could witness what happened in the twins\' intra-pair relationship, as well as between the twins and among the other people present. After each observation session a report was elaborated including the observed behaviors and the observer\'s perceptions related to the facts. The following observed phenomena were specially studied in the twins\' families: individual attendance mother-twin; pair attendance mother-twins; dispute of mother\'s holding/attention; father-twins attendance; twins\' intra-pair relationship. The triangular relationships involving the co-twins and their parents were analyzed, having as its subsidy Freud\'s and Klein\'s theories regarding to oedipal relations. It has been noticed four triangular relationship forms besides the triangle son-mother-father oedipal one in the studied families.

This thesis explores a psychoanalytic understanding of depression from the perspective of Fairbairn’s object relations theory, something Fairbairn did not himself undertake. Highlighting the historical and political contexts of the development of psychoanalysis in Fairbairn’s time, I underline the marginalization of Fairbairn’s theory, which I attribute primarily to his lifelong endeavour to challenge the orthodoxy of the time: instinct theory. I chart a theoretical trajectory from the instinct theory (Freud, Klein) to object relations theory (Fairbairn), to contextualise my argument for the potential of Fairbairn’s theory. My argument aligns with Rubens’ (1994, 1998) view that an extension of Fairbairn’s theory beyond what Fairbairn himself originally proposed on the subject of depression is not only advantageous but also necessary. The Fairbairnian understanding of depression at the heart of this inquiry is illustrated through my personal engagement with psychoanalytic theory and framed by my subjective experiences and interpretations. Contending that theory requires personal voices to make sense and be relevant, I engage creatively and personally using the method of letter-writing to an imaginary companion - Virginia Woolf. The Virginia Woolf I construct and with whom I engaged in the research process is based on factual information about Virginia Woolf along with her published texts. In this process I blur the boundary between the real Woolf and my imaginary Woolf. Troubling the edge of reality and fantasy, I use the Woolf of my imagination to stage a process of getting to know Woolf personally, working to develop a trusting relationship and engaging her in a conversation about theory. My letters to Virginia Woolf trace an unfolding dialogue in which we tell and hear each other’s most intimate stories, once unthinkable and unsayable. The letters trace the transformation of my own understanding of the nature of depression, and through them I seek to establish a line of theoretical argument about depression running through the claims of Freud and Klein before turning to the Fairbairnian version of object relations theory. In so doing this thesis complicates psychoanalytic knowledge of the nature of depression, and argues that, framed in Fairbairn’s system, depression can be understood as an actively organised psychic manoeuvre to defend against changes to the endopsychic structure. In other words, and as elaborated through the letters constructed in this thesis, I argue that depression can be understood as a defence against the disintegration of a particular sense of self sponsored by internal object relationships.

Pre-literate children experience written text as a meaningless material object, the word-object, but the compulsory and institutional aspects of reading pedagogy make this an experience from which they cannot escape. Some children begin to associate their own negative experiental sense with the word-object before they are able to learn to read. As reading pedagogy continues, these children begin to read back experiental sense which prevents them from converting the word-object to meaningful text. Experiental sense is repressed because it is psychically painful. It retains qualities of phenomena repressed from childhood: it is active and intractable to reason. The result is an intractable illiteracy which may be interpreted as biologically based �dyslexia.� Further attempts at reading pedagogy in childhood and adulthood generally result in reproduction of the inability because this pedagogy requires learners to attempt to read linguistically which elicits experiental sense. As these children become adults, their avoidance of reading sometimes structures their social relations to accommodate and compound their problems. The method to overcome the problem replaces experiental sense with positive feelings about written language. The power of language to denote emotions of pleasure and affirmation from learners� lives is used. These emotions are enhanced through a technique of affirmative intersubjectivity. Short spoken affirmative texts are made by learners, tape recorded and reproduced as written texts by the literacy worker. Through allowing learners control and autonomy over their spoken and written texts, the positive emotions in them are associated by learners with the written texts. Exercises on the affirmative written texts are used to demonstrate regularities about written language. Learners then progress to reading suitable independent texts and other activities. There are suggestions about how to enhance learners� feelings as competent readers and writers. The thesis uses a methodology of action research and includes five case studies of adults with literacy problems. Concepts from social theory, psychoanalysis and object relations theory are used and adapted to understand written language, schooling and illiteracy.

This study attempts to incorporate religious fundamentalism into an existing framework for understanding spiritual variables from an object relations perspective of development. Out of this theory have emerged two constructs-image of God and spiritual maturity-which are both spiritually and developmentally oriented. Based on theoretical considerations, it was hypothesized that religious fundamentalism would be connected to lower levels of object relations development and spiritual maturity, and more negative God images. Eighty-five Christians from 18-68 years old were therefore administered four inventories that measured these four constructs. Although mainly weak correlations for the overall sample were found, for students religious fundamentalism was linked to lower levels of object relations development, as hypothesized. Implications of this and other findings are explored.

This study attempts to incorporate religious fundamentalism into an existing framework for understanding spiritual variables from an object relations perspective of development. Out of this theory have emerged two constructs-image of God and spiritual maturity-which are both spiritually and developmentally oriented. Based on theoretical considerations, it was hypothesized that religious fundamentalism would be connected to lower levels of object relations development and spiritual maturity, and more negative God images. Eighty-five Christians from 18-68 years old were therefore administered four inventories that measured these four constructs. Although mainly weak correlations for the overall sample were found, for students religious fundamentalism was linked to lower levels of object relations development, as hypothesized. Implications of this and other findings are explored.

Thesis (M.A. (Drama))--Rhodes University, 2003. / "A thesis sumbitted in partial fulfiment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts."

The aim of this research was to compare the quality of parent- child relationships and child development in a group of 20 adolescents (aged 13-17) who were raised in intact families of origin (Family Group: N1 = 20, x age = 15.65 years, 10 males and 10 females) with a group of 20 adolescents who had been placed in residential substitute care either as children or adolescents (Residential Substitute Care Group: N2 = 20, x age = 16.25 years, 10 males and 10 females). The group of residential substitute care subjects was subdivided by age at placement into two subgroups of ten subjects, each with five males and five females. The Child Placement Subgroup (n1 = 10, x age at placement = 4 years) contained adolescents placed during childhood, the cut-off age for inclusion in the subgroup being six years of age. The Adolescent Placement Subgroup (n2 = 10, x age at placement = 14.25 years) comprised subjects placed between the ages of 12 and 16 years. Each subject was assessed using a 52 item Ego State Inventory (McCarley, 1975) which yields five measures of ego states (Punitive Parent, Nurturing Parent, Adult, Rebellious Child, Adaptive Child). Each subject was interviewed using a Brief Questionnaire for background information and a 20 question version of the Life Script Questionnaire. Videotaped interviews were analyzed for the presence of parent messages given by mothers and fathers. Life scripts were descriptively analyzed for: decisions about life made by subjects; their episcripts; affective, cognitive and behavioural components of racket systems; and identifications, characteristics and themes apparent in their fantasy systems denoted by choices of favourite modern myths (nursery rhymes, fairy tales, story books, and TV programs). Statistical analysis of ego state scores of the Family Group and Residential Substitute Care Group confirms the hypothesis that the two research groups would differ significantly. Life script analysis also confirmed an hypothesized qualitative difference between these two groups. The Child Placement Subgroup and Adolescent Placement Subgroup did not, however, significantly statistically differ from each other in terms of ego state measures. In terms of the nature and frequency of parent messages there is a qualitative difference between the life scripts of Family Group and Residential Substitute Care subjects. Decisions about life, the racket system and fantasy systems of Family Group and Residential Substitute Care Group subjects also indicate qualitative differences. Interpretations of the data in terms of Transactional Analysis (TA) theory and within the object relations development frameworks of Winnicott and Mahler suggest differences between the Family Group and Residential Substitute Care Group in terms of the nature and quality of the parent-child relationship and child development. An object relations developmental retrospective for Family Group and Residential Substitute Care Group subjects suggests a greater capacity for healthier object relating in the former group than the latter group. Additionally, an object relations developmental retrospective comparing Child Placement with Adolescent Placement subjects suggests parent-child relationships and child development within the former subgroup to be of less optimal quality than the latter group. Analysis of parent messages issued by significant other parent figures to Residential Substitute Care subjects denote poor quality substitute- parent child relationships and raise concern about the quality and validity of 'substitute care' services. Two case studies of Residential Substitute Care group subjects (Marilyn and Colin) are provided. The data are discussed in relation to issues and trends in residential substitute care, with a view to making suggestions and recommendations designed to enhance substitute care services in South Africa. The research evaluates the use of TA as a methodology suited to exposing qualitative differences between small sample groups and its utility, interfacing with Winnicott's and Mahler's frameworks, in inferring an object relations developmental retrospective. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 1988.

<p>Although deficits in object relations patterns have been identified in populations of violent offenders, few studies have examined the object relations of male juveniles incarcerated for violent crimes. The present study examined four dimensions of object relations, as measured by the Thematic Apperception Test and Westen's Social Cognitions and Object Relations Scale with a sample of eight male juvenile offenders incarcerated for violent crimes as De Novo and Eureka Youth Care Centres. These dimensions are complexity of object representations, affect tone of relationship paradigms, capacity for emotional investment in relationships and understanding of social causality.</p>

<p>Although deficits in object relations patterns have been identified in populations of violent offenders, few studies have examined the object relations of male juveniles incarcerated for violent crimes. The present study examined four dimensions of object relations, as measured by the Thematic Apperception Test and Westen's Social Cognitions and Object Relations Scale with a sample of eight male juvenile offenders incarcerated for violent crimes as De Novo and Eureka Youth Care Centres. These dimensions are complexity of object representations, affect tone of relationship paradigms, capacity for emotional investment in relationships and understanding of social causality.</p>