A role-reversal in the mother-daughter relationship

Psychoanalytic theorists have noted a particular dynamic in the mother-infant relationship in which the emotional needs of the mother predominate. When this situation occurs, the emotional needs of the infant may go unmet, resulting in impaired self-development. Through an integration of the ideas of mainstream psychoanalytic theorists and feminist psychoanalytic thinkers, this paper proposes the idea that, because of the intensity of the mother-daughter relationship, this dynamic may be more prevalent between mothers and daughters than between mothers and sons. A mother-daughter relationship is described in which the mother comes to depend on her daughter for emotional attunement and response, and the mother's selfobject needs predominate. As a consequence, the daughter is unable to develop a cohesive sense of self and experiences difficulty in achieving separation. Two clinical reports are presented to illustrate the way in which this mother-daughter dynamic manifests itself in the patient's life and in the therapeutic relationship. A negative transference dynamic is described resulting from these patient's fear of duplicating their relationship with their mothers in the therapeutic relationship by having to meet the selfobject needs of the therapist.     

Three Object Relations Models of Couple Treatment

This article describes three different approaches to the treatment of couples, all based on different versions of object relations theories. Object relations as a term has various meanings embodying different theoretical assumptions. It is used differentially to highlight certain aspects of clinical phenomena, to connote certain developmental paradigms, and to signal the importance of real, interactional aspects of human behavior. The three therapeutic approaches to work with couples illustrate some of the ways that the greater conceptual complexity of object relations theories affects how love is explained, couple conflicts defined, and what makes for change in couples treatment. Understanding the basic assumptions of a given theory will enable us to increase our informed consent to the use of theory in our practices.     

Using the Therapeutic Relationship to Promote an Internal Locus of Control in Elderly Mental Health Clients

Seniors who feel powerless to effect change on their environment or who feel that their lives are controlled by external circumstances are said to have an external locus of control. This may adversely affect commitment to and participation in mental health treatment. This article presents the conce t of using the therapeutic relationship to encourage internal contro f' beliefs in elderly mental health clients, with the goal of promoting personal empowerment and improving the efficacy of therapy. Included is a review of litera- ture relevant to aging and locus of control. The develoament of an external locus of conbol is explained by the theories of self psychol- ogy and the social breakdown syndrome.     

The Conjoint Session as a Tool for the Resolution of Separation-Individuation in the Adult Mother-Daughter Relationship

In the present article, two case reports are used to examine the adult mother-daughter relationship from the point of view of the mother. The two mothers, in midlife, looked to their adult daughters to perform selfobject functions. The daughters of these patients felt threatened by their mother's desire for emotional dependence and had emotionally distanced themselves from their mothers. Emotional estrangement from their daughters had caused these patients to experience feelings of depression severe enough to seek treatment. The article describes the use of a conjoint mother-daughter session within the context of the mother's individual treatment to help these mothers to recognize the unresolved separation-individuation in their relationships with their daughters and to promote a healthier connection in the mother-daughter relationship.     

An analysis of 12-step programs for substance abusers from a developmental perspective

Twelve-step programs are increasingly recognized as important resources and treatment adjuncts for recovering alcohol and other drug abusers. It is therefore important that social workers and other clinicians understand the therapeutic value of these programs to the recovery process. This paper explores 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous in light of Margaret Mahler's conceptualization of the separation-individuation process that leads to object constancy and healthy object relations.Based in part on a paper presented at the XVI Annual Symposium on Social Work with Groups, Hartford, Conn. October 29, 1994.     

Types of separation-individuation in relation to mothers and fathers among young people entering adulthood

This paper presents a study on emerging adults’ separation-individuation in relation to parents from a person-centred perspective. The participants, aged 18 through 28 years (N?=?2040, 73% female), offered self-reports on separation-individuation in relation to their mother and father separately. We used the Individuation Test for Emerging Adults (Komidar, L., M. Zupan?i?, G. So?an, and M. Puklek Levpu??ek. 2014. “Development and construct validation of the Individuation Test for Emerging Adults (ITEA).” Journal of Personality Assessment 96 (5): 503–514), specifically designed to tap individuation issues in emerging adulthood. Clustering procedures revealed four internally replicable and structurally consistent types across parents, representing the current relationship dynamics of parent – child relationships. The consistency analysis of cross-parent type membership suggested that about a half of the participants were assigned to the same type of separation-individuation in relation to their mother and father. We considered the individuated-related and the individuated-independent type as healthy separated-individuated yet distinct types, whereas the anxious and the dependent type reflected likely difficulties in separation-individuation. The type membership was significantly associated with the participants’ age, gender, and adult role transitions.     

Separate But Not Alone: Separation-Individuation Issues in College Students with Eating Disorders

It sometimes seems that the college experience is tailor-made for the development of eating disorders. Overwhelmed and bombarded by their feelings, college students often turn to behavioral means, like eating disorders, to cope. Contemporary research (e.g., Christenson et al., 1994) has shown that good and bad emotions alike can be managed by starvation, bingeing, overeating, purging, and/or obsessive exercise. For college students, many of the overwhelming feelings that are titrated by eating disorders are directly linked to the separation process. Adolescence has been called a second individuation. While Mahler et al. (1975) viewed separation-individuation as both a developmental stage and a lifetime's work, contemporary therapists often concentrate on the importance of early separation experiences. A postmodern perspective, however, recognizes the importance of connection as well as separation. Our culture is so focused on independence that many parents of college students do not recognize the importance of maintaining active contact with their older adolescents. It can be very helpful to view an eating disorder as representing a college student's attempt to negotiate separation and connection, dependence and autonomy. This article examines some of these dynamics and the implications for therapy with this population.     

大学生分离个体化与其亲密关系适应的关系研究

为探讨大学生分离个体化的现状及其与亲密关系适应间的关系,采用青少年分离与个体化测验量表和亲密关系适应量表,对山西某大学350名学生进行调查,收回有效问卷271份.研究结果发现:(1)被试大学生分离个体化水平处于中等程度左右;(2)在分离个体化卷入焦虑、拒绝依赖、自我中心和寻求养育维度上,男生明显高于女生;(3)消极分离个体化中的各维度及其总分和积极分离个体化的各维度及其总分均与亲密关系适应间呈显著相关;(4)健康分离、拒绝依赖、卷入焦虑及消极分离个体化的总分对亲密关系适应的相应层次有一定程度的预测作用.     

Disruptions in the Separation-Individuation Process of Domestically Violent Men

ABSTRACT

In the past twenty-five years, domestic violence has emerged as a significant social issue for research and theory development. This paper proposes an examination of domestic violence through the lens of Margaret Mahler's separation-individuation theory of development. This paper examines the existing empirical literature of domestically violent men using Mahler's theory of development. The paper then discusses the results from an empirical examination of the hypothesis that men who batter evidence disruptions in the separation-individuation process. This study has implications for treatment of domestically violent men, and suggests that interventions should include models that develop insight into the effects from developmental ruptures.