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Symbolization and the good object.

Robert Waska1

  • 1In the private practice of psychoanalysis in San Francisco, California 94979, USA. drwaska@aol.com

Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic
|May 19, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Patients with troubled histories resist connecting with good objects, hindering healthy development. This denial of symbolization, driven by envy and fear, creates temporary relief but leads to greater internal chaos and anxiety.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychoanalytic Theory
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Some patients struggle with accepting or identifying with a "good object" that provides containment and symbolization.
  • This resistance is linked to troubled family histories and destructive projective identification processes.
  • The ego may defensively block acknowledgment of symbolizing capacities due to envy, fear of rejection, or dread of persecution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the difficulties patients face in accepting and utilizing a "good object" for containment and symbolization.
  • To examine the impact of troubled family histories and projective identification on healthy development.
  • To understand the defensive mechanisms employed by the ego in response to perceived threats.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of psychoanalytic concepts, including the "good object," containment, and symbolization.
  • Exploration of defense mechanisms such as projective identification, envy, fear, and dread.
  • Illustration through clinical case material.

Main Results:

  • Resistance and denial of the "good object" and symbolization process are manifested in patients.
  • Destructive projective identification and troubled family histories are significant contributing factors.
  • Ego defenses block the acknowledgment of symbolizing capacities, leading to temporary relief but increased internal chaos and anxiety.

Conclusions:

  • The inability to accept or identify with a "good object" disrupts healthy development and symbolization.
  • Defensive blocking of symbolization, driven by internal anxieties, offers only a transient respite from chaos.
  • Clinical case material highlights the detrimental effects of these processes on psychological well-being.

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