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Object relations, Holocaust survival and family therapy
1F. Brüll Community Mental Health Center, Tel-Aviv University Medical School, Israel.
The British Journal of Medical Psychology
|March 1, 1989
Summary
Family therapy involving children helped Holocaust survivors and their spouses improve relationships. Children facilitated reparative change by reinforcing positive self-aspects in their parents.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Family Therapy
- Object Relations Theory
Background:
- Object relations theory and psychodynamic principles inform family therapy.
- Intergenerational transmission of trauma, particularly from Holocaust survivors, impacts family dynamics.
- Pathological internalized object relations can stem from parental history and trauma.
Observation:
- A family with a Holocaust survivor father experienced severe marital and child relationship problems.
- Couple therapy alone was ineffective in resolving long-standing sado-masochistic collusion.
- Inclusion of children in therapy led to significant improvements in family relations.
Findings:
- Children acted as figures for two-way identification, promoting reparative change.
- Parents were able to resynthesize and integrate positive self-aspects, reinforced by their children.
- Reparation facilitated by children positively modified all family relationships.
Implications:
- Family therapy integrating children can be effective for families with intergenerational trauma.
- Children can play a crucial role in the therapeutic process for parents, especially survivors.
- Object relations and psychodynamic approaches can be enhanced by incorporating the broader family system.