What Is Object Relations Theory?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsExternal and Internal ObjectsObject ConstancyWhole Object RelationsThe Importance of Early RelationshipsHistory of Object Relations TheoryUses for Object Relations Theory

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

External and Internal Objects

Object Constancy

Whole Object Relations

The Importance of Early Relationships

History of Object Relations Theory

Uses for Object Relations Theory

Object relations theory is centered on our internal relationships with others. According to this theory, our lifelongrelationship skillsare strongly rooted in our early attachments with our parents, especially our mothers.

Objects refer to people or physical items that symbolically represent a person or part of a person. Object relations, then, are our internalized relationships with those people.

At a Glance

Object relations theory is all about understanding how we internalize our early childhood attachments and how those beliefs affect our later relationships. While the term might make you think of an inanimate object, in this case, it actually refers to the significant people in your life.

There are two primary types of objects in object relations theory: external and internal ones.

External Objects

An external object is an actual person or thing that someone invests in with emotional energy. A whole object is a person as they actually exist, with all the positive and negative traits they embody.

If we successfully move through the stages of development, we are able to relate to others more as a whole and as they truly are.

Internal Objects

An internal object is our psychological and emotional impression of a person. It is the representation that we hold onto when the person is not physically there, and it influences how we view the person in real life.

Consequently, the internal object greatly impacts our relationship with the person that it represents.

Different Attachment Styles

Object constancy is the ability to recognize that objects do not change simply because we do not see them. Infants begin to learnobject constancywhen their parents leave for a short time and then return. As children mature, they begin to spend longer periods of time away from their parents.

Separation anxietyandfear of abandonmentare common in people who have not successfully developed a sense of object constancy.

Another important concept in object relations theory is the idea of whole object relations. This idea suggests that people can view people as an integrated and stable whole. This includes both the positive and negative qualities of a person.

A person lacking whole object relations may hold a “split” view of other people. This person may see others as either “all good” or “all bad,” depending on how they relate to them in a given moment.

It’s a phenomenon known as “splitting,” and it tends to be common in people who haveborderline personality disorder.

While the causes of borderline personality disorder are complex, it has been linked to negative childhood experiences, including abuse, trauma, neglect, and abandonment.Other research has found that object relations also predict BPD symptoms.

If the care is inadequate, children create a false self or one that is playing to the needs of others and is based on compliance with others' expectations, instead of the child’s authentic self.

Over time, acceptable parental care that will create the true self includes the following stages:

According to object relations theory, problems with any of these important experiences can cause issues in developing healthy relationships later in life.

The theory emerged as a variation ofFreudian psychoanalytic theory. Object relations theory developed during the late 1920s and 1930s and shaped psychoanalytic theory during the 1970s.

Object relations theory grew out of the work of early psychoanalytic thinkers, including:

While she did not originate the theory, Melanie Klein’s ideas are often identified with object relations theory. Her work diverged from Freud’s theory, which stressed how controlling sexual urges influenced development. Instead, Klein believed that the early months of infancy significantly influenced development.

Ronald Fairborn extended Klein’s ideas, suggesting that these relationships remain essential as children progress from the complete dependence of early childhood to the more independent years of later childhood. He also indicated that children internalize their early experiences.

Object relations therapy is an approach rooted in object relations theory. It seeks to help people improve their relationships with others. To do this, people work with a therapist to understand how their childhood relationships may influence their interactions in adult relationships.

This therapy approach may help people experiencing problems in their relationships. Understanding their emotions and internalized beliefs can help people develop a healthier approach to their social relationships.

For example, a therapist might work to explore some faulty beliefs that may have formed due to poor connections with caregivers in infancy and childhood. People can work to replace these ideas withhealthier expectationsfor howinterpersonaland romantic relationships should work.

Object relations theory is sometimes used to treatphobias, particularly those that focus on our relationships with people.

How Different Parenting Styles Impact Children

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.Cattane N, Rossi R, Lanfredi M, Cattaneo A.Borderline personality disorder and childhood trauma: Exploring the affected biological systems and mechanisms.BMC Psychiatry. 2017;17(1):221. doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1383-2Huprich SK, Nelson SM, Paggeot A, Lengu K, Albright J.Object relations predicts borderline personality disorder symptoms beyond emotional dysregulation, negative affect, and impulsivity.Personal Disord. 2017;8(1):46-53. doi:10.1037/per0000188Svrakic DM, Zorumski CF.Neuroscience of object relations in health and disorder: A proposal for an integrative model.Front Psychol. 2021;12:583743. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.583743Siegel JP.Digging deeper: An object relations couple therapy update.Fam Process. 2020;59(1):10-20. doi:10.1111/famp.12509

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.Cattane N, Rossi R, Lanfredi M, Cattaneo A.Borderline personality disorder and childhood trauma: Exploring the affected biological systems and mechanisms.BMC Psychiatry. 2017;17(1):221. doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1383-2Huprich SK, Nelson SM, Paggeot A, Lengu K, Albright J.Object relations predicts borderline personality disorder symptoms beyond emotional dysregulation, negative affect, and impulsivity.Personal Disord. 2017;8(1):46-53. doi:10.1037/per0000188Svrakic DM, Zorumski CF.Neuroscience of object relations in health and disorder: A proposal for an integrative model.Front Psychol. 2021;12:583743. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.583743Siegel JP.Digging deeper: An object relations couple therapy update.Fam Process. 2020;59(1):10-20. doi:10.1111/famp.12509

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Institute of Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.Cattane N, Rossi R, Lanfredi M, Cattaneo A.Borderline personality disorder and childhood trauma: Exploring the affected biological systems and mechanisms.BMC Psychiatry. 2017;17(1):221. doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1383-2Huprich SK, Nelson SM, Paggeot A, Lengu K, Albright J.Object relations predicts borderline personality disorder symptoms beyond emotional dysregulation, negative affect, and impulsivity.Personal Disord. 2017;8(1):46-53. doi:10.1037/per0000188Svrakic DM, Zorumski CF.Neuroscience of object relations in health and disorder: A proposal for an integrative model.Front Psychol. 2021;12:583743. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.583743Siegel JP.Digging deeper: An object relations couple therapy update.Fam Process. 2020;59(1):10-20. doi:10.1111/famp.12509

National Institute of Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.

Cattane N, Rossi R, Lanfredi M, Cattaneo A.Borderline personality disorder and childhood trauma: Exploring the affected biological systems and mechanisms.BMC Psychiatry. 2017;17(1):221. doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1383-2

Huprich SK, Nelson SM, Paggeot A, Lengu K, Albright J.Object relations predicts borderline personality disorder symptoms beyond emotional dysregulation, negative affect, and impulsivity.Personal Disord. 2017;8(1):46-53. doi:10.1037/per0000188

Svrakic DM, Zorumski CF.Neuroscience of object relations in health and disorder: A proposal for an integrative model.Front Psychol. 2021;12:583743. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.583743

Siegel JP.Digging deeper: An object relations couple therapy update.Fam Process. 2020;59(1):10-20. doi:10.1111/famp.12509

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