Object Relations: Selected Theoretical Perspectives

This book presents a concise yet comprehensive exploration of key object relations theories and their relevance in contemporary society. It traces the impact of early interactions with the 'mothering person' on the infant's psychic development and examines psychogenic pathology as a manifestation of self-arrest shaped by anxiety-driven object attachments.The text engages with Melanie Klein's matriarchal formulation of object relations, Balint's relational framework, Mahler's concepts of symbiosis and separation-individuation, and Winnicott's existential orientation. The text further provides critical insights into Fairbairn's dynamic trinity, Bion's movement towards psychospiritual understanding, and Bowlby's ethological emphasis on attachment and dependency. Kohut's self-psychological view of narcissistic energies is examined alongside Kernberg's ego psychological object relations model and Chodorow's feminist analysis of gender and culture. It concludes with a critical comparative appraisal of the selected theories.Written in clear and accessible language, the book offers practical guidance to the praxis of object relational psychoanalysis through illustrative case vignettes from Indian mythology, fairy tales, popular movies, novels and case illustrations. It is intended as an enriching resource for psychoanalytic practitioners, theorists, faculty members, research scholars, and postgraduate students, and serves as a valuable reference for allied disciplines, including psychology, philosophy, psychiatry, social work, public health, medical education, and psychiatric nursing.

About the Author

Nilanjana Sanyal is a Senior psychoanalyst, practitioner, academic, and researcher in the field of Psychology. She is the Former President of the Indian Psychoanalytical Society. Her thrust areas include Psychoanalysis, Psychodynamic Psychotherapeutics, Positive Psychology, Spiritual Psychology, Gerontology, and Counselling. A Senior Academician, she has served as a full-tenured Professor at Calcutta University's Department of Psychology, India, where she served twice as the Head of the Department, headed the Ph.D. committee as the Convener, delivered keynotes and master classes at the Academic Staff College and successfully guided 30 Ph.D. theses. She has a large portfolio of authored and edited books, book chapters, journal publications, editorial initiatives and conference papers. She is the co-creator of an International Assessment Standard. She has acted as a Specialist in her own field in various Apex Bodies, including the Fulbright Fellowship and the Commonwealth Selection Committees, the College Services Commission, the UPSC and State PSC selection boards, and acted as Chair at various international conferences across the globe. She has served as chief guest and specialist at various television, radio, and other media programmes.

Manisha Dasgupta is a Professor and Former Head of the Department, University of Calcutta, India. She has active interests and engagement in Personality Psychology, Psychoanalysis, Projective Psychology, Art-Based Assessments, Qualitative Research Methods, Gerontology, and Clinical Psychology, and has many publications. She has been assisting Dr. Sanyal in many of her initiatives and, independently, has been delivering lectures, engaging in research, practising therapeutic interventions, and generally developing herself consistently as a complete, holistic mental health educator and professional under the guidance of her mentor as well as her own sustained initiatives. Co-creator of the Indian adaptation of an International Assessment Standard, she is trained in various test administrations, including the Fairy Tale Test (FTT), which she helped co-develop. She is also an Editorial Consultant and Reviewer of several international and national journals of repute.