The technical significance and application of Mahler's separation-individuation theory

Greater knowledge and integration of developmental concepts and of the frame of reference of separation-individuation, add to the analyst's richer insights and to his more complete interpretations and reconstructions. Freud recognized the complexity of preoedipal development and the importance of the object and of object relations. Contemporary contributions have enabled us to proceed beyond the preoedipal conceptualizations of and since Freud, to better understand ego- and drive regression and evidence of fixations or ego distortions which may appear parallel to "normal neurotic" findings. I question whether we encounter different patients today and suggest that we understand our patients better, thus making our analytic assessments and practices so different from 50 years ago. Separation-individuation theory encompasses and organizes findings from many sources, research and clinical, and permits us to perceive and process material in a multifaceted way. It must affect the timing and content of interpretations and reconstruction, and has a profound influence upon the understanding of psychopathology as well as normal development.