Past and present in the therapeutic action: The persistent influence of the primary object

Psychoanalytic literature has focused on the influence of the primary object during early development, and the transference is described as a repetition of these early object experiences. Yet, personality is informed by past and present experiences with primary objects and others. Thus, limiting our understanding of the transference to past object experiences does not fully demonstrate the complexity of this phenomenon, nor does it allow for the ongoing influence that a primary object may have on the patient's life. Using contemporary psychoanalytic theory, this paper looks at the way that adult interactions with their primary object figures and the attunement of their therapists to these present experiences also influence the therapeutic action.