Related Experiment Videos
Symposium on object relations theory and love. Object concept and object choice
The Psychoanalytic Quarterly
|January 1, 1980
Summary
Object relations theory explains love by defining objects as mental representations. These representations evolve with drives and sensorimotor experiences, influencing unconscious fantasies, object choice, and adult loving patterns.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychoanalysis
- Object Relations Theory
Background:
- Understanding object relations is crucial for analyzing love.
- The concept of 'object' as a mental representation is central.
Purpose of the Study:
- To emphasize the mental representation aspect of the object in object relations theory.
- To explore the developmental link between object evolution, drives, and sensorimotor experiences.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of object relations theory.
- Exploration of developmental psychology and drive theory integration.
Main Results:
- Object evolution is inseparable from drive vicissitudes.
- Sensorimotor experiences shape the object concept via pleasure-unpleasure principles.
- Unconscious fantasies, rooted in early experiences, influence later object choice and love patterns.
Conclusions:
- The concept of the object as a mental representation is fundamental.
- Early drive dynamics and sensorimotor experiences profoundly shape adult object relations and love.
- The Oedipus complex plays a predominant role in integrating these developmental influences.