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Addictions and the quest to control the object.

Robert Waska1

  • 1drwaska@aol.com

American Journal of Psychoanalysis
|March 18, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Psychoanalytic treatment addresses repetitive, destructive behaviors like addiction as externalizations of internal struggles. Understanding object relational dynamics is key to overcoming these compulsive patterns.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychoanalytic Psychology
  • Addiction Studies

Background:

  • Patients often engage in destructive, repetitive behaviors as externalizations of internal conflicts.
  • Addictions, including substance abuse, gambling, and behavioral compulsions, represent a significant form of object relational acting-out.

Observation:

  • Patients describe addictive behaviors with a "must do-can't stop" experience, leading to desperation and relief.
  • Individuals seek psychoanalytic treatment to cease addictive patterns, sometimes alongside 12-step or day treatment programs.

Findings:

  • This paper explores the underlying object relational issues driving addictive processes.
  • Transference dynamics in addiction often involve acting-out, sadomasochistic patterns, projective identification, and persecutory fears.
  • Case studies illustrate difficulties with paranoid-schizoid and depressive functioning in patients with addictions.

Implications:

  • Psychoanalytic insights can illuminate the deeper psychological roots of addiction.
  • Addressing object relational deficits is crucial for sustained recovery from addictive behaviors.
  • Understanding transference patterns offers a pathway to resolving compulsive acting-out.

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