1
Q
What is the central ego in object relations theory?
A
The part of the personality that is reality-oriented, adaptive, and capable of forming healthy relationships with real external objects (people).
2
Q
What functions does the central ego perform?
A
Maintains reality testing, supports adaptive functioning, and enables genuine relationships with others.
3
Q
What type of caregiving environment supports development of the central ego?
A
A reliable, nurturing, and responsive caregiving environment.
4
Q
What is the libidinal ego?
A
The part of the ego that contains unmet dependency needs, longing for love, and hopes for attachment with caregivers.
5
Q
What emotional experiences are held within the libidinal ego?
A
Longing, dependency needs, and hope for love and attention.
6
Q
What object is associated with the libidinal ego?
A
The exciting object.
7
Q
What is the exciting object in object relations theory?
A
A caregiver who is inconsistent or intermittently rewarding, creating strong longing and hope for love.
8
Q
What is the anti-libidinal ego?
A
The part of the ego that contains anger, frustration, and resentment toward caregivers who were rejecting or neglectful.
9
Q
What emotional experiences are contained in the anti-libidinal ego?
A
Anger, resentment, rejection, and hostility toward caregivers.
10
Q
What object is associated with the anti-libidinal ego?
A
The rejecting object.
11
Q
What is the rejecting object?
A
A caregiver experienced as rejecting, neglectful, or emotionally unavailable.
12
Q
Why does the ego split into central, libidinal, and anti-libidinal parts according to Fairbairn?
A
To protect the child from overwhelming disappointment and conflict when caregivers are inconsistent or rejecting.
13
Q
What is the key difference between the central ego and the libidinal ego?
A
The central ego relates to real people and reality, while the libidinal ego contains unmet attachment needs and longing.
14
Q
What is the key difference between the libidinal ego and the anti-libidinal ego?
A
The libidinal ego holds hope and longing for love, while the anti-libidinal ego contains anger and rejection toward caregivers.
15
Q
What core idea did Fairbairn propose about human motivation?
A
Humans primarily seek relationships (objects), not pleasure.
16
Q
What is the primary focus of Object Relations Theory?
A
Internalized relationships with others (objects) and how early relationships shape personality and later interpersonal functioning.
17
Q
In object relations theory, what does the term ‘object’ refer to?
A
Another person or the mental representation of that person, typically a caregiver.
18
Q
What are external objects in object relations theory?
A
Real people in the external environment, such as caregivers.
19
Q
What are internal objects?
A
Mental representations of caregivers and relationships that become internalized within the psyche.
20
Q
How do internal objects influence behavior?
A
They shape expectations about relationships, emotional responses to others, and attachment patterns.
21
Q
What is internalization?
A
The process through which experiences with caregivers become internal psychological structures.
22
Q
What two representations are formed through internalization?
A
Representations of the self and representations of others.
23
Q
What is splitting?
A
A defense mechanism in which people or experiences are divided into all-good or all-bad categories.
24
Q
Why do young children use splitting?
A
Because they cannot yet integrate positive and negative qualities of the same person.
25
What developmental ability replaces splitting in healthy development?
Integration of both positive and negative aspects of a person.
26
According to object relations theorists, what primarily motivates humans?
The need to form relationships with others rather than the pursuit of pleasure.
27
What is the primary focus of Attachment Theory?
How early caregiver relationships influence emotional development and later relationships.
28
What are internal working models?
Mental frameworks formed from early attachment experiences that shape expectations about relationships.
29
What beliefs do internal working models influence?
Beliefs about the self (worthiness of love) and others (trustworthiness and reliability).
30
What behaviors are evaluated in the Strange Situation?
Exploration, separation distress, stranger anxiety, and response to caregiver reunion.
31
What characterizes secure attachment?
The caregiver is responsive; the child uses them as a secure base and is comforted upon reunion.
32
What characterizes avoidant attachment?
The caregiver is rejecting or unavailable; the child avoids or ignores the caregiver upon reunion.
33
What characterizes ambivalent (resistant) attachment?
The caregiver is inconsistent; the child is highly distressed and difficult to soothe upon reunion.
34
What characterizes disorganized attachment?
The caregiver is frightening or chaotic; the child shows confused or contradictory behaviors.
35
What is Freud’s Structural Theory?
A psychodynamic theory proposing that the mind consists of three interacting structures: the id, ego, and superego.
36
What did structural theory expand upon?
It supplements and expands Freud’s classical drive theory.
37
What motivates most human behavior according to structural theory?
Unconscious sexual and aggressive wishes.
38
What role does the ego play in structural theory?
The ego organizes and synthesizes mental functioning while managing unconscious desires that conflict with social norms.
39
What is intrapsychic conflict?
The dynamic tension that occurs between the id, ego, and superego due to their conflicting goals and functions.
40
Why did Freud develop structural theory?
He realized his earlier theories were insufficient to explain psychological issues such as depression and anxiety.
41
What are the three psychic agencies in Freud’s structural theory?
The id, ego, and superego.
42
What principle governs the id?
The pleasure–unpleasure principle.
43
What is the main goal of the id?
To seek pleasure and avoid pain.
44
What impulses originate in the id?
Sexual and aggressive impulses.
45
How does the id treat reality, morality, and logic?
The id ignores reality, morality, logic, and social conventions.
46
Where is the id rooted?
In unconscious physiological processes that appear as sexual and aggressive fantasies.
47
What is the superego?
A relatively enduring organization of moral beliefs, ideals, prohibitions, and commands within the mind.
48
What psychological role does the superego play?
It functions as the conscience.
49
How did Freud believe the superego develops?
Through identification with the same-sex parent during resolution of the Oedipus complex.
50
What is identification in psychodynamic theory?
Taking in aspects of another person and incorporating them into the self without awareness of the origin.
51
How does the superego affect self-esteem?
It acts as an internal authority influencing self-evaluation and feelings about oneself.
52
What happens when the superego is overly harsh?
It may lead to self-criticism, guilt, or self-punishing behaviors.
53
What is the ego ideal?
A component of the superego containing representations of valued traits and ideals found in people we admire.
54
What is the main function of the ego?
To mediate between the id, the superego, and external reality.
55
What functions does the ego perform?
Perceives needs, coordinates internal and external demands, regulates impulses, and maintains self-esteem.
56
How does the ego manage unacceptable wishes?
By repressing or redirecting wishes that conflict with social norms.
57
What are defense mechanisms?
Unconscious strategies used by the ego to manage anxiety and resolve internal conflicts.
58
What causes anxiety according to Freud’s later theory?
Conflict between psychic structures (id, ego, and superego).
59
What happens when the ego cannot resolve conflicts?
Defense mechanisms encapsulate the conflict to reduce its impact on mental functioning.
60
Why was depression a theoretical problem for Freud’s early theory?
His early model could not explain why aggression might be directed toward the self.
61
What symptoms are commonly associated with depression in structural theory?
Guilt and self-hatred.
62
What was Freud’s economic theory?
The idea that the mind contains a finite amount of psychic energy that influences behavior.
63
What two phenomena did Freud link to economic theory?
Narcissism and depression.
64
What is narcissism in economic theory?
Excessive self-love.
65
What characterizes depression in economic theory?
Turning inward and holding onto memories.
66
What is Freud’s topographic theory?
A theory dividing the mind into conscious, preconscious, and unconscious systems.
67
What principle governs the unconscious mind?
The pleasure principle.
68
What principle governs the conscious mind?
The reality principle and secondary process thinking.
69
What are common factors in psychodynamic therapy?
Building a good therapist–client relationship, establishing goals, fostering hope, and explaining the treatment process.
70
What helps build a therapeutic alliance in psychodynamic therapy?
Helping the client feel safe, heard, understood, and not judged.
71
What is attachment?
A strong emotional bond that develops between an infant and their primary caregiver.
72
What core belief underlies attachment theory?
There is a primary need for attachment and harm can occur if this need is not met.
73
Who developed attachment theory?
John Bowlby.
74
What did Bowlby propose about attachment?
Humans are biologically predisposed to form attachments because they promote survival.
75
What theory explains attachment as a biological survival mechanism?
Ethological theory.
76
What did Lorenz discover about imprinting?
There is a critical period shortly after birth when attachment bonds form.
77
What animals did Lorenz study when researching imprinting?
Geese.
78
What did Harlow study to understand attachment?
Rhesus monkeys raised with surrogate mothers.
79
What did Harlow find about infant monkey attachment?
Infants preferred the soft terrycloth mother over the wire mother even when the wire mother provided food.
80
What concept did Harlow use to explain attachment preference?
Contact comfort.
81
What did Bowlby say about early caregiver relationships?
Early relationships strongly influence emotional development and later functioning.
82
What behaviors are infants biologically programmed to use to gain caregiver attention?
Crying, smiling, and vocalizing.
83
What do infant attachment behaviors aim to obtain from caregivers?
Attention, protection, and love.
84
At what age do infants begin directing attachment behaviors toward a primary caregiver?
Around 6 to 7 months of age.
85
What is social referencing?
Looking to a caregiver to determine how to respond in unfamiliar or ambiguous situations.
86
At what age does social referencing typically appear?
Around 6 months of age.
87
What is separation anxiety?
Distress that occurs when a child is separated from their primary caregiver.
88
At what age does separation anxiety typically begin?
Around 6 to 8 months.
89
When does separation anxiety peak?
Around 14 months.
90
What is stranger anxiety?
Fear or distress when an unfamiliar person is present.
91
At what age does stranger anxiety typically occur?
Around 8 to 10 months.
92
Who created the Strange Situation procedure?
Mary Ainsworth.
93
What is the Strange Situation?
A structured observation procedure used to assess attachment between a caregiver and infant.
94
How long is the Strange Situation observation session?
About 20 minutes.
95
What four aspects of behavior are observed in the Strange Situation?
Exploration, reaction to caregiver departure, stranger anxiety, and reunion behavior.
96
What are the four attachment patterns identified by Ainsworth?
Secure, anxious-resistant, anxious-avoidant, and disorganized/disoriented.
97
How do securely attached infants respond to caregiver absence?
They may be mildly upset but seek comfort when the caregiver returns.
98
How do caregivers of securely attached children typically behave?
They are emotionally sensitive and responsive to the child's needs.
99
What characterizes anxious-resistant (ambivalent) attachment?
Extreme distress when caregiver leaves and ambivalence when they return.
100
What caregiving pattern is associated with anxious-resistant attachment?
Inconsistent or moody caregiving.
101
What characterizes anxious-avoidant attachment?
Infants avoid or ignore the caregiver and show little emotional response.
102
What caregiving pattern is associated with avoidant attachment?
Unresponsive or impatient caregiving.
103
What characterizes disorganized attachment?
Confused, contradictory, or disoriented behaviors toward the caregiver.
104
Who introduced the disorganized attachment category?
Mary Main.
105
What parental experiences are associated with disorganized attachment?
Trauma, loss, or severe depression in the caregiver.
106
What behaviors might a disorganized child display?
Freezing, rocking, self-hitting, or approaching then avoiding the caregiver.
107
What percentage of maltreated infants show disorganized attachment?
Approximately 80%.
108
What long-term outcomes are associated with secure attachment?
Higher curiosity, better peer relationships, stronger academic performance, and higher self-esteem.
109
Who developed Self Psychology?
Heinz Kohut.
110
What are the key concepts of Self Psychology?
Empathy as the central tool of therapy, the structure of the tripolar self, and the role of selfobjects in development.
111
What are the three poles of the Tripolar Self?
The Grandiose Self (mirroring pole), the Idealized Parent/Ideals pole, and the Twinship (alter-ego) pole.
112
What is pathological narcissism?
A condition that occurs when insufficient love and empathic attunement are received, causing the individual to become overly invested in the self and rely on others to regulate self-esteem.
113
What is narcissistic transference?
A clinical phenomenon in which aspects of the patient's narcissistic self become activated in the therapeutic relationship.
114
What is primary narcissism?
The earliest stage of life when all libido is attached to the ego and the state is considered natural for infants.
115
What is secondary narcissism?
A later stage when libido previously directed toward others is withdrawn back to the self due to disappointment, trauma, illness, or thwarted development.
116
What is healthy narcissism according to Kohut?
A normal developmental line where balanced self-esteem and self-confidence develop through adequate empathic responses.
117
What is idealizing transference?
A form of narcissistic transference in which the patient experiences the therapist as a powerful and protective parental figure.
118
What is twinship transference?
A narcissistic transference where the patient experiences the therapist as similar to themselves, enhancing the sense of being understood and valued.
119
What is transmuting internalization?
The process in which empathic responses from selfobjects become internalized and integrated into the individual's self-structure.
120
What is the role of empathy in Self Psychology?
Empathy is the primary clinical tool and the foundation for psychological growth and therapeutic understanding.
121
What happens when there is a lack of parental empathy?
Developmental arrest may occur, leading to narcissistic vulnerabilities and disorders of the self.
122
What is empathic mirroring?
The process by which caregivers reflect and affirm a child's abilities, ambitions, and value.
123
What is optimal empathic mirroring?
Sufficient but not excessive empathic responses that allow healthy development through transmuting internalization.
124
What are failures in empathic mirroring?
Inconsistent, absent, or overwhelming empathic responses that lead to developmental deficits or dependency.
125
What is a cohesive self?
A stable and integrated sense of self with balanced self-esteem and psychological stability.
126
What is the therapeutic stance in Self Psychology?
An empathic, understanding approach where the therapist uses empathy to understand the patient's internal experience.
127
Name key Object Relations theorists.
Melanie Klein, Ronald Fairbairn, Harry Guntrip, Donald Winnicott, Margaret Mahler, Otto Kernberg, Thomas Ogden, James Masterson, and John Bowlby.
128
How does Object Relations Theory differ from Drive Theory?
Object relations theory proposes that humans are motivated by relationships with others (objects), whereas drive theory emphasizes biological drives such as hunger and libido.
129
Who was Melanie Klein?
A major object relations theorist who emphasized the internal world of object relations and proposed two developmental positions.
130
What are the two positions in Melanie Klein’s theory?
The Paranoid-Schizoid Position and the Depressive Position.
131
What are 'part objects' in Melanie Klein’s theory?
Fragmented perceptions of others experienced in early infancy before whole people are recognized.
132
What did Melanie Klein mean by 'positions'?
Internal emotional states or ways of perceiving the world that can recur throughout life.
133
What is the central focus of Object Relations Theory?
The relationship between the self and others and how internalized relationships shape psychological life.
134
What does the term 'object' mean in Object Relations Theory?
It refers to both real relationships with others and internal mental representations of others and the self.
135
What is the 'internal world' in Object Relations Theory?
A psychological world composed of internal representations of self and others based on experiences and memories.
136
Who was Margaret Mahler?
A theorist associated with object relations who developed the theory of separation-individuation.
137
What is separation in Mahler’s separation-individuation theory?
The process by which a child begins to experience themselves as separate from the mother.
138
What is individuation in Mahler’s theory?
The process of developing a unique sense of identity and individuality.
139
What did Mahler’s separation-individuation theory attempt to explain?
How children form attachments, internalize them, and eventually become autonomous individuals.
140
What did John Bowlby contribute to Object Relations Theory?
He proposed that attachment to caregivers is a primary biological need necessary for survival.
141
What did Bowlby believe about attachment?
That humans have an innate biological need for attachment and children can experience real grief when a caregiver is lost.
142
What does Object Relations Theory say about independence?
Healthy development involves mature dependence rather than complete independence.
143
What is meant by 'internalized object relations'?
The internal mental representations of relationships that influence psychological functioning.
144
What is unconscious conflict?
Unconscious wishes and fears that seek expression but are kept out of awareness because they create psychological tension or anxiety.
145
What is repetition compulsion?
Freud’s concept that people are driven to unconsciously repeat painful or unresolved experiences in hopes of achieving a different outcome.
146
What is the phenomenon of narcissism in Freud’s economic theory?
Narcissism refers to the investment of libido in the self rather than in external objects or other people.
147
What is the phenomenon of depression in Freud’s economic theory?
Depression involves turning aggression inward toward the self, often resulting in guilt, self-criticism, and self-hatred.
148
What are the three structures of the psyche in Freud’s structural theory?
The id, ego, and superego.
149
What is the id?
The primitive part of the mind driven by sexual and aggressive impulses and governed by the pleasure principle.
150
What is the ego?
The part of the mind that mediates between instinctual drives, moral rules, and reality.
151
What is the superego?
The internalized moral authority representing societal and parental standards.
152
What is abreaction?
The release or expression of emotional energy associated with a previously repressed experience.
153
What is the unconscious mind in Freud’s topographic theory?
The part of the mind containing repressed wishes, memories, and conflicts governed by the pleasure principle and primary process thinking.
154
What is the preconscious mind?
Mental content that is not currently conscious but can be brought into awareness (such as memories or slips of the tongue).
155
What is the conscious mind?
The part of the mind that is aware of current thoughts and experiences and governed by the reality principle.
156
What are defense mechanisms?
Psychological strategies used by the ego to manage anxiety and protect the individual from unconscious conflicts.
157
What is transference?
The process in which feelings about important figures from the past are unconsciously redirected toward the therapist.
158
What is countertransference?
The therapist’s emotional reactions to the client that may reflect the therapist’s own unconscious conflicts.
159
What is free association?
A therapeutic technique in which the patient says whatever comes to mind without censorship to reveal unconscious thoughts.
160
What is repression?
An unconscious defense mechanism that pushes unacceptable thoughts or impulses out of conscious awareness.
161
What is regression?
Returning to an earlier stage of development when faced with stress or anxiety.
162
What is suppression?
A conscious attempt to push distressing thoughts out of awareness.
163
What is manifest content in dreams?
The literal storyline or events that occur in a dream.
164
What is latent content in dreams?
The hidden psychological meaning of a dream that reflects unconscious wishes or conflicts.
165
What is the censor in dream theory?
The mental mechanism that disguises unconscious wishes in dreams so they are less threatening.
166
What is secondary elaboration in dreams?
The process by which the mind organizes dream elements into a coherent narrative upon waking.
167
What is the oral stage of psychosexual development?
The first stage (birth to about 1.5 years) where pleasure is focused on the mouth through activities like sucking and feeding.
168
What is the anal stage of psychosexual development?
The stage (about 1.5–3 years) where pleasure is centered on bowel and bladder control.
169
What is the phallic stage?
The stage (about 3–6 years) where children become aware of genital differences and experience the Oedipal/Electra conflicts.
170
What is the latency stage?
The stage (about 6 years to puberty) where sexual drives are relatively dormant and focus shifts to social and intellectual development.
171
What is the genital stage?
The final stage beginning in adolescence where mature sexual interests develop.
172
What is projective identification in relational theory?
An unconscious relational communication in which feelings are projected into another person and shape the interaction between therapist and client.
173
How did Ferenczi view objectivity in therapy?
As a way therapists may distance themselves from the client and from the client’s traumatic experiences.
174
What must therapists be open to in relational work?
Their own feelings and the emotional experiences occurring in the relationship with the client.
175
What is the goal of creating shared meanings in relational therapy?
To help disavowed feelings and thoughts become understood and processed by the client.
176
What is transference in relational theory?
The client’s thoughts, feelings, fantasies, and unconscious reactions toward the therapist.
177
What is countertransference?
The therapist’s thoughts, feelings, fantasies, and unconscious reactions toward the client.
178
What are enactments in relational therapy?
Moments when both therapist and client experience similar or shared emotional states.
179
What is therapist self-disclosure?
When therapists share aspects of their own feelings or experiences within the therapeutic relationship.
180
What is the 'third space' in relational therapy?
A collaborative space where therapist and client reflect on their shared emotional experiences and create deeper understanding.
181
What are reveries in relational theory?
The therapist’s spontaneous thoughts, associations, or emotional responses that arise during therapy.
182
Why must therapists be cautious with interpretations?
Because the process of arriving at meaning together is more therapeutic than simply delivering an interpretation.
183
What is asymmetry in the therapeutic relationship?
The inherent power difference between therapist and client due to the therapist’s knowledge, role, and authority.
184
Why must therapists acknowledge power and privilege?
Because the therapeutic relationship involves unequal power and ethical responsibility.
185
What is confrontation in psychotherapy?
A direct technique where the therapist challenges the client to face aspects of themselves realistically.
186
What is the goal of confrontation?
To help patients recognize self-defeating behaviors and develop insight.
187
According to Leaman (1978), how is confrontation defined?
An open and honest identification of a client’s self-defeating patterns or manipulations.
188
According to Berenson & Mitchell (1974), what is confrontation?
A therapist’s evaluative comment providing feedback about the client’s impact on the therapist or relationship.
189
What conditions must be present for confrontation to be effective?
Trust, empathy, and genuine concern for the client.
190
Name one purpose of confrontation.
Clarifying discrepancies between the client’s behavior and their statements.
191
What is one additional purpose of confrontation?
Motivating patients toward constructive action.
192
What are common symptoms of depression?
Changes in sleep, appetite, weight, fatigue, sadness, loss of interest, concentration difficulties, and psychomotor slowing.
193
Why is major depression significant globally?
It is one of the most widespread emotional disorders and a leading cause of disability.
194
How has depression prevalence changed in recent years?
Rates have increased from about 8.2% to 13.1% among adolescents and adults.
195
Which gender is diagnosed with depression more often?
Women are diagnosed about two to three times more often than men.
196
What life situations can increase risk for depression?
Parenting stress, illness, social isolation, or major life transitions.
197
Why are LGBTQ+ youth at higher risk for depression and suicide?
Because of bullying, social stigma, and family rejection.
198
How does socioeconomic status relate to depression risk?
People in lower socioeconomic classes have higher risk of major depression.
199
What factors contribute to depression in older adults?
Loss of loved ones, health problems, reduced independence, and social isolation.
200
What did Freud propose about depression in 'Mourning and Melancholia'?
Depression involves complicated mourning where loss leads to internal psychological conflict.
201
How does grief differ from depression according to Freud?
Grief is a normal reaction to loss, while depression involves deeper internal conflict and self-directed negativity.
Psychodynamic
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