The capacity to forgive: intrapsychic and developmental perspectives

The topic of forgiveness, despite its importance for the continuity of relationships and for the mental health of the aggrieved party, is relatively neglected in the psychoanalytic literature, perhaps because it is often seen as the province of religion and carries the connotation of reaction formation and inauthenticity. However, genuine forgiveness involves significant intrapsychic work, conscious and unconscious working through of one's anger, and putting the offense into the context of an integrated view of the whole person of the offender. Early developmental structures are the ground on which the relative ability to let go of a grievance depends. While later motives and defenses (e.g., fear of retraumatization, avoidance of shame) may also play a role, these early structures are primary. They are described here in terms of attainment of the depressive position and the development of a sense of secure attachment, the capacity to mentalize, and the ability to mourn.     

Interpersonal conflict in group therapy: An object relations perspective

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how object relations theory can be used to understand and regulate interpersonal conflict in group psychotherapy. Such concepts as projective identification, intersubjectivity and the analytic third are used to describe how conflict emerges in group psychotherapy and how it can be worked through. Case material is also provided to illustrate concepts and techniques in promoting a group's transition from a paranoid/schizoid to a depressive position. Positive aspects of the concept of projective identification are discussed including its use as a form of communication, a method of reducing anxiety and reintegrating previously dangerous and threatening aspects of the self.The paper was funded by Evan F. Lilly Memorial Trust Grant PV 13,067.     

Handling and self-handling: An object relations perspective on leisure exercise

This paper considers participation in exercise activities as a form of ‘self-handling’. The focus is on individual exercise rather than on activities, such as those involved in some sports and martial arts, which involve pair or group interaction.

The author suggests that the way in which physical activity is used, abused, or avoided in adult life is linked to the quality of primary relationships and in particular to childhood experiences of handling (Winnicott 1962a, 1970). She suggests that exercise evokes ‘memories-in-feeling’ (Klein 1957) of early experiences of handling and is thus essentially object related. A number of different psychic functions of exercise are considered in relation both to theory, particularly Winnicottian theory, and to clinical material.

As we are all aware, not everything a client does in the external world is raised for consideration in the context of the therapeutic relationship. The author reflects on the need to consider the meaning of the client's introduction of the subject of exercise into the therapeutic discourse, as well as the meaning of the physical activity itself.     

The group psychotherapist as contemporary mystic: a bionic object relations perspective

Mysticism is a heightened awareness facilitating intuitive knowledge of group realities. In contrast to logical positivism, in which scientific knowledge consists of logic applied to a set of observations, the author holds that mystical awareness is pertinent to the conduct of therapy groups. The work of Bion, and also so-called "structuralist" theories, postulate pre-given templates that inform experience. The application of mystical thought to group consultation, leadership, and transformation of the self is discussed. The group context which allows for mystical experience is called the "sacred space." To emphasize the sacredness of the group, a kabbalist parallel to early development and projective identification is used to show how sacred metaphor and myth can enrich interpretation in groups.     

Primordial texts: An object relations approach to biblical hermeneutics

What is object relations theory? What is the place of an object relations perspective in biblical hermeneutics as a process? After briefly introducing object relations theory, this presentation discusses the place of an object relations perspective in the hermeneutical process by analyzing D. Winnicott's “squiggle” game with childreń as a hermeneutical paradigm, and by examining critical themes such as: subject-object relations or the relationship between text and the interpreter or interpreting community, transitional space, and the suspension of disbelief or the locus of illusion in hermeneutical understanding.     

Introduction to object relations group psychotherapy.

The author shows how object relations group therapy focuses on primitive defense mechanisms that shape the group-entity image or "basic assumptions group." Such primitive defense mechanisms as splitting, projective identification, omnipotent denial, projection, and introjection are the mental resources to protect the endangered self and the threatened objects from the fantasized imminent destruction. Object relations group psychotherapy addresses those defenses and the underlying psychotic anxieties, offering members opportunities to search for other ways to respond to their primitive fears. The author introduces two extensive clinical vignettes to illustrate how object relations group methods are different from other group-centered psychoanalytic techniques. He concludes by commenting on future theoretical refinements and on the problems in the professional practice of this modality.     

Screen memory: its importance to object relations and transference

A screen memory of an obsessive and narcissistic man, reported early in psychoanalysis, both represented and disguised the patient's oedipal conflict, incestuous wishes, and sibling rivalry. It symbolized for him his relationship with his mother and was treated by him, in a repetitive and fetishistic manner throughout treatment, as the reason for his bitterness toward life, his sense of entitlement, his narcissism, and his distrust of women. In the transference, the memory-far from being inert- constantly played an active role in his wishes and disappointments regarding the analyst, and in his fantasied oedipal triumph over him. As the analysis progressed, and after years of treatment, the encapsulated nature of this memory began to give way to the patient's growing awareness of his oedipal wishes, the full range of his feelings toward his mother, and his sense of abandonment by her. The nature of screen memory is explored, including how it relates to a patient's personality and use of the past in general, how it may figure in the development of a person's object relations, and the decisive role it may play throughout a treatment.     

The limitations of the object relations model

The position expressed in this paper is that there is no drive without object, and no object relationship except in the context of the drives. If primacy is to be attributed to any of the factors involved in mental functioning, it should be to the workings of the pleasure-unpleasure principle; the latter cannot be conceived as independent of the realm of the drives. A clinical case is presented in order to demonstrate why and to what extent it can be severely restrictive to attribute ultimate motivating primacy to a hypothetical object-seeking tendency conceived of as operating outside the sphere of the drives.     

The clinical popularity of object relations concepts

Object relations theory has the effect of supporting the psychoanalyst when he feels that the patient's effort is strongly opposed to his own. The current popularity of object relations theory may be related to the gradual disappearance from Freudian theory of a simple, clear image of an obligatory insistence by the patient that is useful even though it is unreflective. Object relations theory offers the practitioner a way of fortifying himself against blind demand, while newer Freudian theorists cope with the problem by orienting themselves more stringently toward the original paradigm of optional choice.     

The roles of emotion management and perspective taking in individuals’ conflict management styles and disposition to forgive

This study aimed to link two fields of research: conflict management and forgiveness. Adult participants (n = 122) and a validating sample of significant others (n = 122) completed measures of disposition to forgive, conflict style, emotion management, and perspective taking; and multi-dimensional models of their relationships were tested. Disposition to forgive was most consistently associated with problem solving and yielding conflict styles. Greater perspective taking was associated with greater forgiveness, and greater problem solving and yielding conflict styles, as well as with lesser fighting style; and perspective taking fully or partially mediated the relationship between ability to repair emotions and dispositions to forgive and problem solve during conflict. Significant other reports confirmed most of the findings based on self-report.     

Psychotropic medication from an object relations theory perspective: an analysis of vignettes from group psychotherapy

In this article we explore the content and dynamics of patients' verbalizations within a "living with medications" group. Patients' perceptions of their psychotropic medications are interpreted and classified within the framework of object relations theory. One's perception of the role of medication in one's life can serve as a gateway to one's inner world and the way that he or she perceives authority figures, peers, and oneself. We suggest that working through patients' relationships with their medications can help them to achieve better integration of internal object relations. Discussing patients' views about medications should therefore be seen as an important part of psychotherapy with many individuals. Such a discussion may enhance and improve efficacy of both psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. It is of particular importance in group therapy, within milieu environments and with individuals reluctant to explicitly discuss interpersonal matters. Vignettes from the group sessions illustrate the way in which discussing medication advances group process.     

On internal object relations

This paper gives an account of the author's attempts to come to terms with the concept of internal object relations, and to find an appropriate theoretical place for it within non-Kleinian mainstream theory. It is proposed that the internal object be regarded as a structure in the nonexperimental realm, being built up during development on the basis of the child's subjective perceptual and fantasy experiences. The internal objects in turn influence perception, thought, fantasy, current object relations, and transference. From the point of view of the clinician, the concepts of internal object and of internal object relation act as useful organizing constructs for both analyst and patient. Finally, the suggestion is made that internal objects can be regarded as the source of internal "presences" with which the person constantly unconsciously interacts.     

An object relations view of creative process and group process

This article describes a unique writing group experience. Members of the writing group undergo an intensive object relations working-through process. They experience the individual dynamics of their internal editors. They work on conflicts over shame,guilt,and envy that reinforce hostile reactions of the internal editor. In this way,they resolve blocks to the creative process,produce writing,get feedback, give expression to the internal voice,and find the format or formats most appropriate for their unique modes of self-expression. They also help each other mourn the internal parents who constitute the internal editor composite. The mutual grieving process enlarges the inner space for creative self-expression. In sum,this article illustrates the interaction of group process with object relations intrapsychic process.