Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Heroin addiction: the needle as transitional object.

¹Columbia University, USA.

The Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis

|August 29, 2002

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Bed Rest After Removing Central Arterial and Venous Access Devices.

Critical care nurse·2026

Same author

New SMA era: A broad-range tiered assessment of function for the evolving SMA phenotype (EVOLVE-SMA).

Journal of neuromuscular diseases·2025

Same author

A Systematic Review of Health-Related Quality-of-Life Measurement in Patients With Complicated Urinary Tract Infections.

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·2025

Same author

A Systematic Review of Health-Related Quality-of-Life Measurement in Patients With Hospital-Acquired/Ventilator-Associated Bacterial Pneumonia.

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·2025

Same author

A Qualitative Secondary Analysis of Patient Health-Related Quality of Life in Bloodstream Infections by Source: Intra-abdominal, Urinary Tract, and Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infection.

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·2025

Same author

A Systematic Review of Health-Related Quality-of-Life Measurement in Patients With Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections.

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·2025

Heroin addiction may stem from early childhood trauma, where the heroin needle acts as a transitional object. This psychoanalytic perspective offers insights into addiction etiology.

Area of Science:

Psychoanalytic theory
Addiction studies
Psychology

Background:

Understanding the etiology of heroin addiction is complex.
Psychoanalytic models offer unique perspectives on addiction.
Early life experiences significantly impact adult mental health.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the etiology of heroin addiction through the lens of object relations theory.
To explore the role of the needle as a transitional object in heroin addiction.
To understand how early childhood deprivation and separation trauma contribute to addiction.

Main Methods:

Literature review of psychoanalytic theories on addiction.
Case study analysis of patients with heroin addiction.
Application of object relations principles to understand addictive behaviors.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

The needle can function as a transitional object for individuals with a history of early deprivation.
Object relations theory provides a framework for understanding the psychological underpinnings of heroin addiction.
Separation trauma in childhood is linked to the development of addictive behaviors.

Conclusions:

Object relations theory offers valuable insights into the etiology of heroin addiction.
The concept of transitional objects is relevant in understanding the use of the heroin needle.
Addressing early childhood trauma is crucial in the treatment of heroin addiction.