The focus of this investigation is to assess the relationship between false self behavior, object relations and attachment variables, and adjustment. Theory suggests that object relations and attachment are interrelated, and have been independently linked to psychological consequences. Theory also postulates a relationship between false self behavior and object relations theory. Given the interrelatedness of object relations and attachment theory it is possible that false self behavior may also be linked to attachment variables. While the relationship between object relations and false self behavior seems to have been established object relations theory and attachment theory have not been studied in tandem as related to false self behavior. In addition, this investigation will explore the relationship of adjustment variables to attachment and object relations variables. Undergraduate males and females will be solicited for participation, and will be asked to complete self-report questionnaires measuring false self behavior, object relations, attachment, and adjustment. The primary research hypothesis is that less false self behavior will be related to mature object relations, secure attachment, and fewer symptoms.

Empirical investigation of the tenets of Object Relations Theory is recent. This study of the theoretical convergence between Object Relations Theory and Personal Construct Theory brought a new direction to the empirical investigation. It was hypothesized that individuals who displayed a well developed level of object relations, as measured by Object Relations Theory, would also display a highly adaptive blend of cognitive complexity and ordination, as described by Personal Construct Theory, and vice versa. A correlational analysis of personality measures on 136 college students approached but did not attain statistical significance. Results indicated no significant theoretical convergence between Object Relations Theory and Personal Construct Theory. Further research is warranted only if greater variability in sample age, life experience, and psychopathology is assured.

The current study investigated the relationship between clients' object relations functioning and the working alliance. The Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (SCORS; Westen, 1991), an object relations scoring system for the TAT, was used to assess object relations functioning. Forty-eight therapy clients at a university-based training clinic were administered the TAT, Adult Attachment Scale (AAS), Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R; Derogatis, 1977), and the short form of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSD; Crowne & Marlowe, 1960). Following the initial assessment of client characteristics shortly after intake, clients and their therapists rated the working alliance 3 sessions later. Results indicated that the SCORS was significantly correlated with client and therapist ratings of the working alliance. The current study also assessed the predictive validity of the SCORS by examining how its various scales are related to aspects of the working alliance and the other measures used in this study. The findings suggest that the relationship between object relations functioning, the working alliance, symptom severity, and attachment disturbance depends on the aspect of object relations that is being assessed.

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.

Thesis (Psy. D.)--George Fox University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 271-315). Also available on the Internet.

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.