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THE INTERPERSONAL CONTEXT OF OBJECT RELATIONS: IMPLICATIONS FOR FAMILY THERAPY *
Author(s) -
Mallouk Thomas
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-0606.1982.tb01469.x
Subject(s) - psychodynamics , psychology , family therapy , object relations theory , interpersonal communication , context (archaeology) , psychotherapist , interpersonal relationship , social psychology , object (grammar) , personality , psychodynamic psychotherapy , dynamics (music) , family systems , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , psychoanalytic theory , computer science , paleontology , pedagogy , artificial intelligence , biology
Psychodynamic theory and family systems theories have come to represent competing orientations in the understanding of human behavior. This paper extends the quest for an integration of these perspectives. This is done by mapping ideas from one orientation onto constructs from the other. Case examples illustrate the ideas and demonstrate how inner dynamics and interactional behavior dovetail to create systemic and personal crises. Clinical implications highlight the need (a) for psychodynamic therapists to recognize the contextual forces that activate personality structures and (b) for systems therapists to recognize the idiosyncratic meanings of interactional behaviors.