Glossary / Lexicon

Object relations Theory refers to a modern Adaptation of psychoanalytic Theory that places less emphasis on the drives of Aggression and Sexuality as motivational forces and more emphasis o n human relationships as the primary motivational force in life

This post-Freudian theory proposes relational constructs or objects in the unconscious as the structure that affects human development. The child retains an imprint of the relationship with the primary caretaker and projects the representation onto all future relationships. When parenting is deficient, the object relations embedded in the unconscious is problematic and the person exhibits psychological difficulties. Relational objects can be inconstant, or not dependable, when based on neglectful parenting. An adult with a problematic childhood history will forever project inappropriate prototypes onto others. When parenting is sufficient, the child develops through a sequence of stages where the child gradually grows from dependence on parents to personal independence. Object relations psychology: Therapists using object relations theory provide reparenting experiences for clients so that positive objects can be internalized by clients. Objects: A term used in object relations theory to denote internal images of other people. When we are infants, other people are merely objects that provide food and other necessities. Childhood reactions to others are distilled into mental constructs and these mental images become a permanent part of a person's internal world.