Community parental surrogates and their role for the adolescent

Community parental surrogates and their role for the adolescent is explored against the backdrop of classical psychoanalytic theory, self-psychology, and the sociological prevalence of one-parent families. The rabbi/tutor and coach/umpire help resolve oedipal issues and promote the establishment of a cohesive self. Clinical vignettes illustrate how de-idealization by proxy may aid detachment from childhood love-objects and allow healthy partial identification with the same-sex parent.