Presenter: |
Barry M. Segal, MBBCh, FRCP(C) |
Chair: |
Pamela E. Haglund, PsyD |
Self Psychology Page | 21th Conference
Program
Failure of primary relatedness between children and caregivers can lead to walling off of the affective core of the child's self. Splitting of the psyche allows defensive structures to develop, to protect and compensate for the underlying defect. I have previously described an "object-serving" defensive self, developed in relation to pathological selfobject support.
In some cases the child must resort to alternative processes, other than engagement with a parent, to meet the need for self sustenance. Beyond the realm of interpersonal relatedness there are a multitude of options for attachment, idealization and mirroring. These can be found in material objects, part objects and subjective psychological states of the child. The chosen element can be referred to as a substitute selfobject. The defensive self developed in this way resembles the idea of a "contact-shunning-self".
In this paper I describe the role of substitute selfobjects in the childhood of certain cases, and I provide two case reports to illustrate the ideas. I outline my thoughts on the treatment of these cases, focusing on the role of coming to appreciate the place of the substitute selfobject in the patient's inner life.