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.

O personagem principal da presente tese é William Ronald Dodds Fairbairn, psicanalista escocês que viveu entre 1889 e 1965 em Edimburgo, na Escócia e dedicou toda uma vida a mapear as repercussões das experiências traumáticas precoces no processo de constituição da estrutura psíquica. Fairbairn fez parte, junto com Winnicott, Balint e alguns outros, do que viria a ser conhecido dentro da tradição da psicanálise inglesa como Middle Group, ao mesmo tempo em que foi muito influenciado pelo pensamento kleiniano. Por ser alguém que vivia a milhas de distância dos principais centros de formação psicanalítica, produzia sua obra em relativo isolamento, proclamava-se como alguém que tornou superado o modelo teórico proposto por Freud e mesmo assim, continuava sendo reconhecido como psicanalista pelas instituições oficiais, Fairbairn ocupava um lugar único na cena psicanalítica da época. Na presente tese, buscamos dar o destaque devido para os singulares e refrescantes sentidos que Fairbairn confere à dimensão das forças libidinais, ao afirmar que o movimento primordial do humano não visaria o alivio das tensões, como propusera Freud, mas o estabelecimento de ligações amorosas com os objetos. Além disso, discutimos o modelo de mente proposto por Fairbairn, que incorpora em sua própria estrutura uma concepção do desenvolvimento inicial primitivo que não é encontrada nos escritos de nenhum dos principais teóricos da psicanálise do século XX (Ogden, 2010). Ao mesmo tempo em que damos o devido destaque para as grandes contribuições do autor à tradição psicanalítica, também nos propomos a garimpar as construções mais inacabadas dele sobre os processos intersubjetivos, que são muito pouco conhecidas, mas nem por isso são menos relevantes ou menos férteis. A partir disso, defendemos que o autor trouxe para a psicanálise, de modo rudimentar, contribuições originais sobre a brincadeira e a arte. Também se permitiu recriar o setting psicanalítico de modo a adaptá-lo às necessidades emocionais de seus pacientes. Lançou novas luzes para a discussão sobre a experiência de perda e o sentimento de culpa. Propôs, a partir de sua experiência pessoal, um novo modo de compreender a repercussão das experiências traumáticas na relação do sujeito com o seu corpo. A nosso ver, ao enfatizarmos as construções mais rudimentares da obra de Fairbairn, que surgem nas brechas do grande sistema teórico que ele estava construindo, o nosso esforço é de criar um autor muito menos sólido do que ele se pretendia, muito menos consolidado. Esse trabalho de criar um autor nos exigirá um esforço detido de leitura de todo e qualquer texto de Fairbairn, principalmente daqueles que pareçam menos relevantes, de modo que a nossa tarefa será a de criar um autor que, paradoxalmente, sempre esteve lá, a espera de ser criado / The main character of this work is William Ronald Dodds Fairbairn, a psychoanalyst who lived between 1889 and 1965 in Edinburgh, Scotland and who devoted a lifetime to describe the impact of early traumatic experiences in the formation process of the psychic structure. Together with Winnicott and Balint, Fairbairn was a member of what would be known as the Middle Group in the British psychoanalytic tradition. At the same time, he was influenced by Kleins ideas. Fairbairn occupied a unique place in the psychoanalytic scene because he was someone who lived miles away from his colleagues, who produced his work in relative isolation, who used to proclaim himself as the one who surpassed Freud and, despite all this, he was still recognized as a psychoanalyst by the official institutions. Throughout the present work, we highlight the unique and refreshing meaning proposed by the author to the libido forces, according to which the primary human intention is not to seek relief from tension, as proposed by Freud, but to establish affectionate bonds with objects. Beside this, we discuss the model of the mind proposed by Fairbairn, which incorporates into its very structure a conceptualization of early psychic development that is not found in the writings of any other major 20th century psychoanalytic theorist (Ogden, 2010). Inasmuch as we intend to shed light on the great contributions of the author to the psychoanalytic tradition, we endeavor to research his unfinished and very unknown constructions about the intersubjective processes, which are equally relevant and fertile. From this, we argue that the author brought to psychoanalysis original contributions to playing and arts. He also recreated the psychoanalytic setting in order to adapt it to his patients emotional needs. He cast new light on the discussion about the experiences of loss and guilt. He proposed a new way of understanding the impact of traumatic experiences on the subject\'s relation to his body. In our view, by emphasizing the most rudimentary constructions of Fairbairn´s work that arise in the gaps of the great theoretical system he was building, our effort is to create an author less solid and consolidated than he intended to be. This work of creating an author will require from us an effort of reading carefully all of Fairbairn´s texts, especially those that seem less relevant, so our task will be to create an author who has always been there, waiting to be created

O personagem principal da presente tese é William Ronald Dodds Fairbairn, psicanalista escocês que viveu entre 1889 e 1965 em Edimburgo, na Escócia e dedicou toda uma vida a mapear as repercussões das experiências traumáticas precoces no processo de constituição da estrutura psíquica. Fairbairn fez parte, junto com Winnicott, Balint e alguns outros, do que viria a ser conhecido dentro da tradição da psicanálise inglesa como Middle Group, ao mesmo tempo em que foi muito influenciado pelo pensamento kleiniano. Por ser alguém que vivia a milhas de distância dos principais centros de formação psicanalítica, produzia sua obra em relativo isolamento, proclamava-se como alguém que tornou superado o modelo teórico proposto por Freud e mesmo assim, continuava sendo reconhecido como psicanalista pelas instituições oficiais, Fairbairn ocupava um lugar único na cena psicanalítica da época. Na presente tese, buscamos dar o destaque devido para os singulares e refrescantes sentidos que Fairbairn confere à dimensão das forças libidinais, ao afirmar que o movimento primordial do humano não visaria o alivio das tensões, como propusera Freud, mas o estabelecimento de ligações amorosas com os objetos. Além disso, discutimos o modelo de mente proposto por Fairbairn, que incorpora em sua própria estrutura uma concepção do desenvolvimento inicial primitivo que não é encontrada nos escritos de nenhum dos principais teóricos da psicanálise do século XX (Ogden, 2010). Ao mesmo tempo em que damos o devido destaque para as grandes contribuições do autor à tradição psicanalítica, também nos propomos a garimpar as construções mais inacabadas dele sobre os processos intersubjetivos, que são muito pouco conhecidas, mas nem por isso são menos relevantes ou menos férteis. A partir disso, defendemos que o autor trouxe para a psicanálise, de modo rudimentar, contribuições originais sobre a brincadeira e a arte. Também se permitiu recriar o setting psicanalítico de modo a adaptá-lo às necessidades emocionais de seus pacientes. Lançou novas luzes para a discussão sobre a experiência de perda e o sentimento de culpa. Propôs, a partir de sua experiência pessoal, um novo modo de compreender a repercussão das experiências traumáticas na relação do sujeito com o seu corpo. A nosso ver, ao enfatizarmos as construções mais rudimentares da obra de Fairbairn, que surgem nas brechas do grande sistema teórico que ele estava construindo, o nosso esforço é de criar um autor muito menos sólido do que ele se pretendia, muito menos consolidado. Esse trabalho de criar um autor nos exigirá um esforço detido de leitura de todo e qualquer texto de Fairbairn, principalmente daqueles que pareçam menos relevantes, de modo que a nossa tarefa será a de criar um autor que, paradoxalmente, sempre esteve lá, a espera de ser criado / The main character of this work is William Ronald Dodds Fairbairn, a psychoanalyst who lived between 1889 and 1965 in Edinburgh, Scotland and who devoted a lifetime to describe the impact of early traumatic experiences in the formation process of the psychic structure. Together with Winnicott and Balint, Fairbairn was a member of what would be known as the Middle Group in the British psychoanalytic tradition. At the same time, he was influenced by Kleins ideas. Fairbairn occupied a unique place in the psychoanalytic scene because he was someone who lived miles away from his colleagues, who produced his work in relative isolation, who used to proclaim himself as the one who surpassed Freud and, despite all this, he was still recognized as a psychoanalyst by the official institutions. Throughout the present work, we highlight the unique and refreshing meaning proposed by the author to the libido forces, according to which the primary human intention is not to seek relief from tension, as proposed by Freud, but to establish affectionate bonds with objects. Beside this, we discuss the model of the mind proposed by Fairbairn, which incorporates into its very structure a conceptualization of early psychic development that is not found in the writings of any other major 20th century psychoanalytic theorist (Ogden, 2010). Inasmuch as we intend to shed light on the great contributions of the author to the psychoanalytic tradition, we endeavor to research his unfinished and very unknown constructions about the intersubjective processes, which are equally relevant and fertile. From this, we argue that the author brought to psychoanalysis original contributions to playing and arts. He also recreated the psychoanalytic setting in order to adapt it to his patients emotional needs. He cast new light on the discussion about the experiences of loss and guilt. He proposed a new way of understanding the impact of traumatic experiences on the subject\'s relation to his body. In our view, by emphasizing the most rudimentary constructions of Fairbairn´s work that arise in the gaps of the great theoretical system he was building, our effort is to create an author less solid and consolidated than he intended to be. This work of creating an author will require from us an effort of reading carefully all of Fairbairn´s texts, especially those that seem less relevant, so our task will be to create an author who has always been there, waiting to be created

[From Introduction]. The name of John Fairbairn is remembered with honour in South Africa for the part he played in the achievement of a freer press in the Cape Colony, in the campaign to prevent Britain from establishing a convict station on Cape soil, and in the movement which resulted in the establishment of a form of representative government in the Cape in 1853. More controversial is his share, as the editor of the first modern newspaper in the Colony, in a campaign to secure just treatment for the natives both inside and outside of the Colony. It is with his treatment of the conflicts, both small and great, between the Colony and the AmaXhosa tribes on its Eastern Frontier that this study is concerned.

This study focuses on exploring the relationship between domestic workers and the children they help to raise from the child’s perspective, using attachment theory (Bowlby, 1988) and psychoanalytic theory (referring specifically to Klein (1952) and Fairbairn (1952/2006) as some theoretical bases). Also, the concepts of the social unconscious (Weinberg, 2007) and social ghosts (Gergen, 2000) are used to provide a link to the relationship having social implications and functions in the South African context. All theories were used in an anti-essentialistic, reflexive and heuristic way, without reification or objectification of the various terms and concepts within the theories. Also, the paradigmatic point of departure for this research is postmodernism (Apignanesi, Sadar, Curry&Garrat, 2003), focusing on the contextual and socially constructed view of knowledge production. From this point of departure, the methodology is qualitative and the research design autoethnographic (Bochner, 1997; Ellis 1998; 2000; Muncey, 2005; Holman Jones, 2005). My own story is presented where I have used various data sources such as my own memories, a letter (Babbie&Mouton, 2008), and photographs which were analysed according to the principles of visual narrative analysis found in Riessman (2008) primarily. Further data was collected through the use of two radio talk shows, where participants were invited to share their stories with regard to being raised by a domestic worker. This data was analysed using thematic narrative analysis (Riessman, 2008), in which the narratives (kept as whole as possible) were analysed, each case in turn, using themes from the narratives themselves and deductive psychoanalytic themes. Some of the themes elicited were possession (where charges felt in possession of their domestic worker), absence (in relation to the child’s biological mother experienced both by domestic workers biological children and the domestic workers charges), loss (especially in relation to a caregiver), the male caregiver (a paternal figure to his charges), the politicisation of the relationship (the relationship between domestic worker and charge as product of a political system), reconciliation and action (a call for empathy and change), and an intertwining of cultures (where black and white, male and female, rich and poor exist inextricably linked with one another as a product of segregation). I have also maintained a consistent critical and reflexive stance throughout. In conclusion I have presented the contribution of this work to social science and society. Similarly, some limitations of this study are presented, as well as directions for further research. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted