Chapter 5- Object Relations Theory

Question 1

What was Mahler’s idea of psychological birth?

Answer 1

it’s when a child becomes an individual separate from their caregiver to achieve a sense of identity

Question 2

(Mahler) What are the 3 stages children must go through to achieve a sense of identity

Answer 2

1. Normal autism (when infants satisfy their needs through their mothers care)
2. Normal symbiosis (when infants form a symbiotic relationship with their mother)
3. Separation-Individuation (when children become psychologically separated from their mom and achieve a sense of identity)

Question 3

What did Kohut believe was the core of personality?

Answer 3

human relatedness

Question 4

What did Kohut emphasize?

Answer 4

the development of the self

Question 5

According to Kohut, infants require adults to satisfy what two needs?

Answer 5

Physical and psychological needs

Question 6

How did Kohut describe the self?

Answer 6

the center of the individual’s psychological universe

Question 7

What are Bowlby’s 3 stages of separation anxiety?

Answer 7

1. Protest stage (when caregiver leaves and baby resists soothing from others)
2. Despair stage (baby becomes quiet, sad, and apathetic)
3. Detachment stage (baby becomes emotionally detached from others including their caregiver)

Question 8

(Ainsworth) What are the 3 types of attachment styles?

Answer 8

1. Secure attachment
2. Anxious-resistant attachment
3. Anxious-avoidant attachment

Question 9

How would a baby with an anxious-resistant attachment react to their mom coming back after leaving them with a stranger?

Answer 9

giving off mixed signals, upset when mother leaves but when she comes back they still seek contact but reject attempts at being soothed

Question 10

How would a baby with an anxious-avoidant attachment react to their mom coming back after leaving them with a stranger?

Answer 10

stays calm when mother leaves, accepts the stranger, ignores/avoids mother when she returns