Object Relations Theories: Klein and Winnicot.

Object relations Theories Klein and Winnicot.A circumstantial Evaluation of the Object Relations Theories of Melanie Klein and Donald Winnicott.Klein specifys conflicting forces within the psyche, detailing how they interact with equally conflicting external forces, producing a mental structure understood in terms of relationships. The primal elements of her possibility are the finis intelligence and the paranoid skitzoid military posture, in which originate objects are created by divide. Along with the depressive position which arises upon the baby bird realising those part objects are very whole objects, (Frosh, 1987).In the depressive position guilt makes its appearance, as the childs realizes that the object of its envious attacks is also the object that it loves (Segal 1992). Along with guilt the child feels gratitude towards the yield and thus the believe for reparation arises. It is this conflict amongst love and hate, torn by conflicting desires for the caring p reservation of former(a)s against the malicious destruction of others that Klein saw as organism central to the human experience (Greenberg, 1983).I am speaking of an natural conflict between love and hate, I am implying that the capacity twain for love and detrimental impulses is, to some extent, constitutional, although varying indivi bivalently in strength and interacting from the beginning with external conditions.(Klein, 1957, p180(Frosh, 1987))Winnicott did not produce a coherent theoretical structure he did grow ideas which have stood the test of time (Gomez, 1988). His ideas existence centred around dependence conflicting with the full stops of absolute, relative and toward independence (Jacobs, 1995). With children beginning life in absolute dependence, and the grow in a state of primary maternal pre-occupation (Winnicott, 1965) by helping to contain the childs blunt agonies (Jacobs, 1995)providing a memory enviroment for the infants sense of omnipotent phantasy(St nonethelesss, 1996).Potential blank berthTransitional ObjectsThis provides a sense of trust and right(a)ness in the existence leading to the capacity to be alone and play. (Stevens, 1996). Within the realms of potential length, facilitated by transitional objects Winnicott proposed mismanagement of impingements encourages development of a false self covering and distorting the childs true self (Jacobs, 1995).KLEIN MAIN BODYDEATH INSTINCT 94Klein admited the death instinct is the central source of disturbances in a childs experiences (Frosh, 1987) Klein argued that early channelling of the death instinct must take place for the infant to survive (Greenberg, 1983), proposing that even in good nurturing environment children still experience cultisms and anxieties creating aggressive and noxious emotions (Frosh, 1987). Winnicott doubted Kleins retention of Freuds death instincts (Winnicott, 1965), considering the concepts to be superfluous rather than wrong (Gomez, 1988). And Kernberg (1969) proposed the death instinct could be dropped without damaging her other presentations due to the total lack of clinical evidence supporting an innate death instinct (Segal, 1992).PHANTASY 106Klein thought the death instinct taints childrens phantasys (Frosh, 1987), with sensations cosmos interpritated as unconscious phantasys based on innate knowledge and experience (Hinshelwood, 1991). Unconscious phantasy differs from Fantasy, be a vaguer, primitive root of images and sensations at a pre-linguistic stage, taking place on an unconscious level (Hough, p88). Klein proposed children view the external world through phantasies, not perceiving things as they are (Segal, 1992), and notice childrens lives to be dominated by unconscious and sometimes conscious phantasies about parental sexuality (Segal, 1981). Unconscious phantasies underlie every mental process and comply all mental activity. They are mental representations of those somatic events in the body which co mprise the instincts, and are physical sensations interoperated as relationships with objects that cause those sensations.A Dictionary of Kleinian supposition (Hinshelwood, 1991)Guntrip (1971) accused Klein of depicting the objects of human passion as phantasmagoric, without real connection to other people, counterclaiming this argument is Kleins frequently mentioning the importance of real others (Greenberg, 1983).SPLITTING 84 rowWhen fantasies and perceptions are kept apart infants split both the object and themselves (Segal, 1992), this splitting is a defence manoeuvre arising from projective and introjective defence mechanisms (Frosh, 1987). Seeking to disown and distance both projection created anxiety inducing objects or hostile elements the attend often resorts to this disasociative psychic process (Likerman, p88). Klein viewed the mind as inherently split, unlike others who propose the minds sign unity which becomes divided by experiences (Frosh, 1987), extreme splittin g can become a threat at times due to its terrifyingly persecuting nature (Segal, 1992).PART OBJECTS 99 wordsSplitting creates part objects which are considered to be modes of relating rather than the building blocks of phantasy. (Gomez, 1988). Klein considered the descental part object to be the mothers breast (Hinshelwood, 1991)It whitethorn seem shady that the tiny childs interest should be limited to a part of a person rather than the whole, just now one must bear in mind first of all that the child has an extremely underdeveloped capacity for perception, physical and mental, and then.. the child is only tutelageed with his immediate gratifications. (Klein 1936, p290)(Hinshelwood, 1991)Needing to make sense of the chaos of the world a child makes the division between good and bad, with both categories kept far apart as Klein belived that it was more important to achive some order than to slang an accurate interpretation of reality (Gomez, 1988). Astor (1989) challenged this based on observations, claiming the breast is initially whole, later becoming part of the whole body before becoming a combined object (Jacobs, 1995).PARANOID SKITZOID POSITIONKlein proposed the paranoid skitzoid position as the first government activity of experience in everyones early years, beingness maintained episodically throughout life. She considered a clear distinction between bad and good objects important, being maintained with the both extremes polarized in emotional tone and conceptual organization (Black, p91-3).As regards splitting of the object, we have to remember that in states of gratification love feelings turn towards the gratifying breast, while in states of frustration hatred and persecutory anxiety link themselves to the frustrating breast. This twofold relation, implying a division between love and hatred in relation to the object, can only be maintained by splitting the breast into its good and bad aspects.With the splitting of the object, idealization is bound up, for the good aspects of the breast are exaggerated as a safeguard against the fear of the persecuting breast.Paranoia is the persecutory fear of invasive external melevolance, and skitzoid refers to the splitting of good and bad. It is considered a position being a fundamental way of formulating experience, enabling individuals to relate to others from the different perspectives of oneself, rather than being a passing phase (Black, p91-3).PROJECTIVE IDENTIFICATION 98Projective identifcation describes extensions of splitting in which parts of the ego are detached from the self and projected into objects (Greenberg, 1983). By pose bad qualities into another, the other is considered to possess the bad qualities which they cannot stand in themselves. A phantasy remote from consciousness that entails a belief in certain aspects of the self being located elsewhere.A Dictionary of Kleinian Thought (Hinshelwood, 1991)Being a very deep split creates amplified perceptions of pe ople and emotions as they cannot be regulated by their opposites. (Segal, 1992). Ogden (1979) proposed projective identification to be a threefold process, firstly ridding oneself of indwellingly attacking objects, then projecting fantasy into recipient through interactions with the recipient finally experiencing themselves as they are pictured in the projection (Fineill, 1985).CONTAINMENT 61Klein derived containment from projective identification, where one person in a sense contains part of another, when a child splits off their fears and contains them in an object. Klein proposed that if these split fears are allowed to repose in the mother for long decorous then they can be modified and safely reintrojected, considering this the beginning of mental perceptual constancy (Hinshelwood, 1991).WHOLE OBJECTS 95When good and bad part objects are cognise as individual objects they are considered whole objects. As whole objects are realized the child begins to understand that others have mixed feelings and emotions, and also begins to perceive that others can suffer, resulting in the child no longer defining others by its own require and feelings (Hinshelwood, 1991).Appreciating the mother as an individual and seeing her as an whole object, the mother becomes no longer simply a vechle for drive gratification, and instead an other with whom the child is able to maintain a personal relationships (Greenberg, 1983).ENVY 99Envy is a two person emotion, experienced upon realizing the inability of being as good as the good object. This hatred directed towards good objects, and the childs desire to destroy the source of goodness due to envy of its independence (Greenberg, 1983), This phantasised destruction of the good object terrifies the child because it destroys the possibility of hope (Greenberg, 1983). Being projective, by trying to put badness in to the good object to destroy it (Frosh, p125).It is a destructive attack on the source of life, on the good object, not on the bad object, and it is to be distinguished from ambivalence and from frustration. It is held to be innate in origin as part of the instinctual endowment, and requires the mechanism of splitting as an initial defence operating at the outset.A Dictionary of Kleinian Thought (Hinshelwood, 1991)Winnicott, Bowlby and Fairburn took issue with Kleins perception of children possessing innate feelings of aggression towards the mother (Segal, 1992), considering envy a product of tantalizing mothering (Adams, 1988)DEPRESSIVE POSITION 126The depressive position is considered a way of dealing with anxiety arising from the death instinct (Segal, 1992), being a combination of phantasies and attitudes begining around three months. This involves intergrating experiences rather than splitting them (Segal, p38), where loving and hateful relations are unified in whole objects (Greenberg, 1983) and the child pisss up its omnipotent world perspective (Hinshelwood, 1991).Depressive anxiety is based on the fate of others both internally and externally. Not only being the childs reaction against its own destructiveness, but a genuine expression of love and regret, developing into gratitude for the mothers goodness. Alternitivly Racker claims that both depressive and paranoid skitzoid anxieties are due to childrens intense desire for their mothers love (Greenberg, 1983) and Winnicott preferred the term concern considering the infants protective feelings toward their mothers (Jacobs, 1995).GRATITUDE 22Klein considered that love and gratitude are innate, with gratifying objects enhancing gratitude and love and frustrating objects provoking paranoia and hate (Hinshelwood, 1991)REPERATION 59Reperation is considered the strongest element of the creative and constructive urges (Hinshelwood, 1991)It is in the depressive position when Klein proposes that guilt makes its appearance. Klein considered that a childs aggression gave rise to anxiety as it conflicts with the powerful lovi ng impulses, these loving impulses proposed by Klein are often overlooked by those wish to criticize Klein (Segal, 1992)WinnicottAbsolute Dependence 110Winnicott said-There is no such thing as a baby If you set out to describe a baby, you will find you are describing a baby and someone. A baby cannot exist alone, but is essentially part of a relationship (Winnicott, 1947) (Stevens, 1996)During the stage of absolute dependence Winnicott considered the mothers state to be Primary Maternal Pre-ocupatoin a very early sage of emotional development where she feels the baby is a part of herself, leaving the baby with no means of awareness of material provisions (Winnicott, 1965). Thus not differentiating between itself and its environment (Gomez, 1988), the child can only bread or suffer from disturbance being unable to gain confine over how things are done. But dispite the infants physical dependence, psychologically it is paradoxically dependant and sovereign (Winnicott, 1965). Winic ott considerd the development of a strong ego to be dependant on the mothers ability to meet the early absolute dependence of the infant (Jacobs, 1995)Primitive agonies Winnicotts primitive agonies are a description of the childs fear of going to pieces and eternally falling, having no relation to the body with no orientation in the world while in complete isolation with no means of communication. These may surface in later life as psychotic or borderline-state anxieties (Gomez, p88-89). He claimed the good enough mother creates a holding enviroment capable of containing these unthinkable anxietys enabling stable ego development (Jacobs, 1995).Holding Impingment Winnicotts reference to holding is both physical holding and the childs enviroment (Winnicott, 1965). Where the mothers creates the space and ability to facilitate the childs creative and imaginative self, while the child forms the object relations that it needs. This is dependant in part on the satisfaction that the mother is able derive from relating to and facilitating her childs internal struggling. ( newfoundman, p789) reducing impingements to a minimum, with approbatory conditions the infant is able to establish continuity in its existanceThe enviroment does not make the child. At opera hat it enables the child to realize potential. (Winnicott, 1965)Impingments break the continuity of the infants existence, and constant impingments disrupt the childs ability to intergrate, encouraging future mental problems (Winnicott, 1965), Impingement anxiety is a product of environmental failure (newman, p790)Winnicott considered Kleins envious baby to be the product of a failed holding enviroment (Adams, 1988). Condidering the child as more benign, victimized product of its enviroment (Greenberg, 1983). In contrast Winnicott, Klein considered the childs internal environment to predominate the childs interactions with the world. dour SelfIn unreceptive enviroments Winnicott argued that children cannot maint ain genuine needs and wishes, because the caretakers agenda must be dealt with by the child. Thus the child shapes themselves according to the cartakers vision, compliently creating a false self (Michell, p105), a conscious, compliant version of the self, which under certain conditions hides and protects the true self in the unconscious (Stevens, p312). This is due to the dual malignant introjection firstly of the faulty caretaker who is either too narcacistic or too controlling and secondly the caretakers incapacity to manage the childs resultant reactions to their shortfalls leading to the childs internalization of both the disappointing parent and the parents inability to deal with the dissapointment, this impingment leads to the development of a false self to deal with the anxiety created by this situation (newman, p791)True Self Winnicott considered the separated Me or I am from others is the true self (Jacobs, 1995). If there is sufficient attunement between the child and the mother then the infants true self emerges from activitys in the transitional space (Stevens, 1996). But if a childs bodily functions are managed impersonally or if it is left alone physically or mentally then it may try out to identify more with the mind than the body, leaving the child perceiving its true self as an ethereal intangible quality. (Gomez, 1988)Potential SpaceIn order to give a place for playing Winnicott proposed a paradoxical dynamic dialectic position known as potential space between the baby and mother. (ogden, 1979) being a hypothetical area which exists (and cannot exist) between mother and child, this potential space varies a great deal according to each childs life experience in relation to their mother figure (Winnicott, 1971)Early life experiences determine each individuals use of this space, where each individual has their most intense experiences. Each infant has favourable or unfavourable experience within this space where dependence is maximal, thus pote ntial space is only in relation to a feeling of faith relative to the environmental factors, this trustingness is evidence of the dependability that has being introjected by the individual. (Winnicott, 1971).Ogden (1979) proposed the each pole of the dialectic relationship within potential space creates, informs and negates the other as the child moves from absolute to relative dependence. Transitional Objects and PhenominaTransitional objects are concerned with the first possession and its relation to the intermediate area between subjective and objective perception of the child (Winnicott, 1971). It is not the object that is transitional, but rather that object is the first manifestation of the infants altering perspective of the world, shifting from a internal psychic reality to the external world. (Cooper, 1989) Unlike the mother the transitional object is neither under internal control, nor is it outside external control (Winnicott, 1971) being the first not me.It stands for the breast and is a symbolic part object (Winnicott, 1951, p231 233)The child cannot live without it. It mustnt be washed or altered, even if it becomes threadbare. The child must be allowed to abandon it in its own time and its own way. It is not mourned it is left behind, relegated to the limbo of half-forgotten things at the limbo of half forgotten things at the fag of a chest of drawers, or at the back of a the toy cupboard. (Winnicott, 1971)Brody (1980) claimed transitional objects more comforting substitues for insufficient mothering than a universal phenomenon, citing reduced natural event in rural areas (Jacobs, 1995). Play 88Winnicotts concern with play arose from his interest in a childs experience of the transitional object. (Cooper, 1989)Winnicott said Play is immensely fire because of the precariousness of the interplay of personal psychic reality and the experience of control of actual objects (Cooper, 1989)Playing is the interplay between inter personal psychic rea lity and the experience of control of actual objects, the precarious nature of playing is due to its existence on the theoretical line between the subjective world and the perceived one (Winnicott, 1971)Winnicott hold with Klein proposing that certain aspects of childrens play are external projections of their internal experiences with toys becoming subjective objects (Winnicott, 1965) and considered play to be a universal and healthy behaviour (Winnicott, 1971)The Capacity to be Alone 124Although the infant is alone, the carer is still present in the general environment due to the movement of familiar objects (Winnicott, 1971)The basis of the capacity to be alone is a paradox, it is the experience of being alone while someone else is present. (Cooper, 1989)Winnicott proposed that it is dependent on the presence of a good internal object, for this presence enables a feeling of confidence in the present and future. Considering the capacity to be alone closely related to emotional m aturity, its basis is the experience of being alone while in the presence of another, and is a highly sophisticated phenomenon with many contributing factors. (Winnicott, p 1971)Hmlinen (1999), proposed that everyone lives in the solitude of subjectivity, considering the capacity to be alone a capacity to tolerate the absence and lack of aloneness along with yearning for closeness, while simaltaniously enjoying the unity and connection of social life.CONCLUSIONThe lack of critisism for Winnicotts work may be due to the fact that dispite his prolific musical composition he did not compose a comprihesive system. (Jacobs, 1995)Kleins perspective is intrapsychic (one person) where as Winnicott is interpersonal (two-person) (Stevens, 305) (RELATES TO INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL) MASCULINE FEMININE.The premise of Kleins theorys are subjective rather than objective and philosophical rather than scientific (Gomez, p33),Winnicotts writing style is considered to be impressionistic than anylitical and although (Gomez, p86-8).A positive aspect of Kleins theory is achievement of gratitude and love with social relations can be achieved in the face of negative aspects such as envy and greed (Frosh, p127)Some consider Kleins nestle to be to deterministic, proposing that she considers that events that happen in later life have a negligible effect on the psychic makeup developed in the childs formative period (Segal, p91).Kleins perspective that it is not only external influences that lead to childhood can be considered a important counterweight to the argument that it is strictly the fault of parents when children suffer problems mentally (Segal, p88).Those who are followers of Winnicott consider a child to be a far more benign and victimised wight than Kleinian followers, in Winnicotts book The Child the Family and the Outside World Winnicott expresses strong disagreement with Kleins proposal of a child projecting personal hated and bad aspects onto or into objects,Critics of Klein consider her work to be tangential to Fruedian thinking in a highly speculative and fantastic manor noting that the forceful and certain manor of writing leads to hyperbole and overgeneralization (Greenberg, p120)In defence of Klein it can be argued that those who critize her work do so as they fail to take a close and balanced approach to her work and thus focus exclusively upon aggression with out considering the balancing factors of other motives (Greenberg, p120)It is claimed that the contribution of problematic features of the childs environment such as family and living conditions are not taken into account for their establishment of original bad objects in the psychopathology in individuals and it is claimed that Fairburn and Winnicot were able to explore possibilities of external factors due to their not being encoumbered by attachement to Freuds drive model of the human psyche (Greenberg, p147)REFERENCESAdams, P (1988). Winnicott. capital of the United Kingdom Penguin Astor, J. (1989). The Breast as Part of the Whole Theoretical considerations concerning whole and part objects. journal of Analytical Psychology. 34 (1), 117-128.AdBlack, M,J (1995). Freud and Beyond. New York Basic Books.Cooper, R (1989). Thresholds Between Philosophy and Psychoanalysis. capital of the United Kingdom Free Association Books.Fineill, J.S. (1985). Projective Identification and Psychotherapeutic Technique. Thomas H. Ogden. New York Jason Aronson, 1982, 236 pp.. Psychoanal. Rev., 72671-673.Frosh, S (1987). The Politics of Psychoanalysis. capital of the United Kingdom Macmillan Press.Gomez, L (1988). An Introduction to Object Relations. London Free Association Books.Greenberg J.R Mitchell S.A (1983). Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory. London Harvard University Press.Hmlinen, O. (1999). Some considerations on the capacity to be alone. Scand. Psychoanal. Rev., 2233-47.Hinshelwood, R.D (1991). A Dictionary of Kleinian Thought. Sidmouth Chase Publishing Services.Hou gh, M (1998). Conselling Skills and Theory. London Hodder Stoughton Educational.Jacobs (1995). D.W.Winnicott. London Sage Publications LTD.Klein, M. (1946). Notes on Some Schizoid Mechanisms. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 2799-110.Likierman, M (2001). Melanie Klein Her Work in Context. London Continuum.Mitchell, S,A (1988). Relational Concepts in Psychoanalysis. London Harvard University Press.Newman K.M. (1996). Winnicott Goes To The Movies The False Self In Ordinary People. Psychoanal Q. 65 (1), 787-807.Ogden, T.H. (1979). On Projective Identification. Psycho-Anal. 60 (1), 357-373.Segal, H (1981). Klein. London Karnac Books.Segal, J (1992). Melanie Klein. London Sage Publications.Stevens, R (1996). Understanding the Self. London Sage Publications LTD.Winnicott, D,W (1965). The Maturational member and the Facilitating Enviroment. London The Hogarth Press.Winnicott, D,W (1971). Playing and Reality. London and New York Routledge Classics.BIBLIOGRAPHYAstor, J. (1989). The Breast as Part of the Whole Theoretical considerations concerning whol J. Anal. Psychol., 34117-128.Bacal, H.A. (1987). British Object-Relations Theorists and Self Psychology Some Critical Re Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 6881-98.Balint, M. (1952). New Beginning and the Paranoid and the Depressive Syndromes. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 33214-224.Black, M,J. Mitchell S,A. (1995), Freud and Beyond, Basic Books, New YorkCooper, R (1989), Thresholds Between Philosophy and Psychoanalysis, Free Association Books, LondonFrosh, S (1987), The Politics of Psychoanalysis, Macmillan Press, LondonHinshelwood, R.D. (1991), A Dictionary of Kleinian Thought, Chase Publishing Services, Sidmouth.Hough, M (1998), Conselling Skills and Theory, Hodder Stoughton Educational, London.Gomez, L (1988), An Introduction to Object Relations, Free Association Books, London.Greenberg J.R Mitchell S.A (1983), Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory, Harvard University Press, LondonKernberg International Journal of Psychoanalysis. L, 1969 A C ontribution to the Ego-Psychological Critique of the Kleinian School. Otto F. Kernberg. Pp. 317-333.Likierman, M (2001), Melanie Klein Her Work in Context, Continuum, LondonMitchell, S,A (1988), Relational Concepts in Psychoanalysis, Harvard University Press, LondonNewman K.M. (1996). Winnicott Goes To The Movies The False Self In Ordinary People. Psychoanal Q., 65787-807.Segal, H (1981), Klein, Karnac Books, LondonSegal, J (1992), Melanie Klein, Sage Publications, LondonStevens, R (1996), Understanding the Self, Sage Publications LTD, LondonWinnicott, D,W (1971), Playing and Reality, Routledge Classics, London and New YorkWinnicott, D,W (1965), The Maturational Process and the Facilitating Enviroment, The Hogarth Press, London.Yorke, C. (1971). Some Suggestions for a Critique of Kleinian Psychology. Psychoanal. St. Child, 26129-155.REFERENCESRead up 2 p 792 http//www.pep-web.org/document.php?id=paq.065.0787atype=hitlistnum=1query=zone1%3Darticle%26zone2%3Dparagraphs%26title%3Dfalse %2Bself%2Bwinnicott%26sort%3Dauthor%252Caath_user=laprjgreen3ath_ttok=%3CSxcdiKPuNxKtfCaeBg%3ETo Mrs. Klein, aggression inevitably distorts the childs picture of the world, make him feel attacked with hatred whenever he is at all thwarted or deprived. Early environment may do much to increase, or lessen, this sense of persecution but a bad home does not create it, nor does a good one prevent it from appearing. Balint, M