Object Relations Theory Explained: Melanie Klein, Donald Winnicott, Otto Kernberg, Balint, Fairbairn 

Thank you so much for your comment, Katelynn. I’m so glad to hear my videos were helpful - this is precisely why I make them 😊 So cool to have another (future) psychologist on here. I wish you all the best with your further studies 🍀

Thank you so much, Arpita! Your kind words mean a lot, I appreciate it. With work it is hard to find enough time to make new videos but I enjoy it a lot. The interaction on the platform is very much worth it. Best wishes!

Thank you so much for your kind words, Alina (hey, we share a name!). Im so glad to hear my channel has been helpful - thats exactly what I hoped it would be 😊 Thanks for tagging along, psychodynamics can be complicated but so damn interesting!

Jelena! You're so sweet, thank you for cheering me on 💃🏼😊 Are there other topics you'd like me to cover? Best wishes 🍀

Thank you so much for your kind words.

Thank you, Grahame! I love hooking people onto new books, this makes me happy to hear. So far I've only read Kernberg's book on Transference-focused Psychotherapy. Can you recommend "Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism"?

Das freut mich 😊 vielen Dank für deine lieben Worte, Marie!

Thank you for your comment. I'm glad to hear it was helpful :)

Thank you so much for your kind comment, Tuğba! That means a lot and I'm glad the video was helpful 😊

Glad to hear you enjoyed the video! Thank you so much for your kind comment.

Thank you for taking your time to write such an interesting comment. Cluster B issues (or any personality disorder) are indeed very tighlty connected to early development and upbringing. The interesting thing about the psychodynamic approach is that there are so many theories that serve different presentations of personality issues. There is Kernberg for differentiating organizational level, Kohut for narcissistic pathologies, Fonagy and his concept of mentalization for borderline psychopathologies, Bowlby et al. for attachment. It's all incredibly rich. Take care :)

@@PsychodynamicPsychology Glancing at Bowlby, I'm intrigued about his attachment theory. I would like to see more on infant attachment based on feeding/caregiving (modern times dad's like me are 50/50, not being biased, I don't think the infant as a favorite, but the power of mom is still inherently powerful regardless). From what I have gathered, infants are one of the areas of psychology that have not been extensively studied in comparison to other areas). I have some insomnia, so I was able to be there the moment the infant started crying at night from birth (I think that consistency REALLY paid off, with attachment security, because at 12-15 months, he's able to wake up (coughing or whatever, and go back to sleep usually without assistance, and very little protest when leaving his room, pretty much any time of day, woohoo! it works :D ). Bowlby also studied the inherent effects of juvenile delinquency, and attachments to mom, and how they play out over an extended period of time. For my final paper to graduated, I chose to research the opioid epidemic in America (it was one of the most eye opening experiences in my life). Changed my entire perspective! Gangs distribute, gang leaders target kids who are doing poorly in school (the neglected/abused/traumatized children). These kids (10 -12 y.o.) become career criminals before the brain is developed enough to understand the long term repercussions of their decisions (what they are being manipulated into doing). It is a vicious cycle that ruins/impacts all areas of life (and societies worldwide, looking at varying disciplinary systems, countries like Germany, i.e, treat juvenile delinquents with more of a humanistic approach). It all begins in childhood, and from the top down; people need to make enough income to raise happy, capable children (not spoiled). I appreciate the other theorists to research, I love reading/listening, and thinking critically. I believe the world is beginning to understand the importance of this newer science (psychology), as a lot more valuable than previously realized!

Thank you for your comment! Happy to hear you enjoyed the video and my voice was pleasant 😊

Dear Kelley, thank you so much for your incredibly kind comment :) It means a lot to hear that from you.

Vielen Dank für deine lieben Worte. Es freut mich sehr, dass dir das Video gefallen hat. Ich liebe die psychodynamische Theorie tatsächlich sehr und freue mich, wenn ich andere damit etwas anstecken kann ;) Liebe Grüße!

Thank you!

Thank you so much for such an elaborate and interesting comment, Stuart. You have just given me more interesting books to add to my wishlist - how wonderful! Nancy McWilliams is a fabulous writer and I've been wanting to dive more into her books for a while. I didn't know she was supervised by Kernberg but now her approach makes even more sense.

@@PsychodynamicPsychology I believe she was one of Kernberg's though I can't remember where I read it. Certainly her division between the use of primitive defense mechanisms and mature defense mechanisms as markers for personality organization and the division of psychotic, borderline and neurotic categorization are Kernberg's. Kernberg as you may know was influenced by Melanie Klein though he thought she went too far in asserting that neurotic organizations were defenses against deeper psychotic anxieties hence the tripartite division . But you are most welcome and I appreciate your gratitude.

Thank you so much, Jessica! So glad to hear it was helpful 😊

Thank you so much for your kind words! It means a lot.

That's wonderful! I'm glad to hear it was helpful. I wish you the best of luck with your class, Kendrique.

Ahhh, thank you Patrizia, that is heartwarming :) I wish you all the best with your studies!

You’re so welcome! Thank you for your kind comment, Alex. It brought a smile to my face today.

Dear Peter, thank you for your kind words and constructive criticism! Indeed his full name is William Ronald Dodds Fairbairn, so you're right that calling him "W. Ronald D. Fairbairn" would've caused less confusion.

Thank you so much for your kind words, Stephen. I've never come across an approach that has resonated more deeply. Glad to share what I learn in hope that it'll help others!

Thank you so much, Gordon.

So glad to hear that. Thank you, Chrissy!

Thank you for your comment 😊

Glad to hear you liked it!

Object relations theory is not a treatment. But Transference-focused Psychotherapy and Mentalization-based Treatment are based on or integrate object relations theory. You can look up studies for those, they perform very well.

Thank you so much, Julia! I'm so happy to hear you liked it :)

Yes, his full official name is William Ronald Dodds Fairbairn, but he is indeed known as Ronald Fairbairn.

So glad it was helpful! Thank you :)

Thank you! Puh... not really a specific one about object relations theory. One book on different theories that was very beginner-friendly and I enjoyed is "Beyond Freud" by Mitchell.

As far as I know their discoveries were based on observation. Which in itself was brand new because before childhood development theories were implied from adult presentation. In attachment theory there were also some experiments, I'm thinking of Mary Ainsworth's "Strange Situation". The difficulty as you describe it remains unfortunately!

Thank you, Tom. Glad to hear you enjoyed the video.

Thank you for your kind comment, Saeed. Do you mean working as in you are a therapist for university students or you teach them?

@@PsychodynamicPsychology sorry for the delay in responding. I am a qualified mental health practitioner, with a new post working with students. What do you do?

So glad to hear it was clear, Peter. That's what I strive for.

Thank you so much, John! That's such a kind compliment.

Dear Juliette, thank you for your comment :) You can't really break it down to precise features. A lack of integration usually stems from disturbances early on, in many cases likely in the first few years of life. I'd recommend you check out Otto Kernberg's and Frank Yeomans' work on Transference-focused Psychotherapy to learn more. Best wishes!

You’re welcome 😊

You’re so welcome!

This is definitely not my original way of dubbing them! Those terms have been used before by people much more knowledgeable than me. These camps have also been called British vs. Independent with different constellations.

Thank you so much 😊

Thank you so much, Artem! It's so lovely to see your name pop up again on here and interacting with you. Haha, I'm afraid the therapeutic approach is a lot more messy because working on structural deficits (emotion regulation, tolerating ambivalence, self-object-differentiation) is a lot harder - at least for me - than working on neurotic conflicts. But it indeed offers a great insight into our inner worlds and why relationship pattern often repeat themselves. Best wishes!

Unfortunately I cannot answer this question, Nancy. If this concerns you and your mental health, it might be helpful to talk to a licensed professional for guidance. Best wishes!

DSM describes symptoms (~what is externally visible), object relations theory is about internal experiences. So it can be relevant for all or no DSM diagnosis. Depends on the individual patient.

Wow! What exactly of his work had such a big impact on you? :)

​@@PsychodynamicPsychology hey so i read his books in German, so I am not sure how to say it English. But the concept of „moralische Abwehr“, the practice of "Von der Oberfläche zur Tiefe deuten" & structural interview.

Das sind tatsächlich ganz interessante Konzepte :) Ich habe letztes noch gelesen, dass er erst gerade wieder mit 94 Jahren (!!) ein neues Buch veröffentlicht hat: Hatred, Emptiness, and Hope: Transference-Focused Psychotherapy in Personality Disorders. Wirklich beeindruckend!

@@PsychodynamicPsychology Jaa, unglaublich! :)

It's true, I always try to get straight to the point and talk quite fast... My advice would be to slow down the audio in the RU-vid settings, then you can chose the speed yourself :)

Just a normal person here but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the video :)

I haven’t! Thank you for the recommendation, I’ll take a look at that 😊

Officially he was “William Ronald Dodds Fairbairn” but you’re right he was known as W. Ronald D. Fairbairn.

Thank you! Puh, that would be a lot of work and I'm not familiar enough with Fairbair to do that thoroughly.

I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you for your comment, Kristina.