The third individuation. The effect of biological parenthood on separation-individuation processes in adulthood

The subject of this paper is the Third Individuation, the continuous process of elaboration of the self and differentiation from objects which occurs in the developmental phases of early (20 to 40) and middle (40 to 60) adulthood. Although it is influenced by all important adult object ties, at its core are involvements with children, spouse, and parents, i.e., the family, the same psychological constellation that shaped the first (Mahler) and second (Blos) individuations.