Object relations theory in the context of "Theory of attachment"

Attachment theory posits that infants need to form a close relationship with at least one primary caregiver to ensure their survival, and to develop healthy social and emotional functioning. It was first developed by psychiatrist and psychoanalyst John Bowlby (1907–90). The theory proposes that secure attachments are formed when caregivers are sensitive and responsive in social interactions, and consistently available, particularly between the ages of six months and two years. As children grow, they are thought to use these attachment figures as a secure base from which to explore the world and to return to for comfort. Interactions with caregivers have been hypothesized to form a specific kind of attachment behavioral system – or, more recently, internal working model – the relative in/security of which influences characteristic patterns of behavior when forming future relationships. Separation anxiety or grief following the loss of an attachment figure was proposed as being a normal and adaptive response for a securely attached infant.

In the 1970s, developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth expanded on Bowlby's work, codifying the caregiver's side of the attachment process as necessitating the adult's availability, appropriate responsiveness and sensitivity to infant signals. She and her team devised a laboratory procedure known as the Strange Situation Procedure, which she used to identify attachment patterns in infant-caregiver pairs: secure; avoidant; anxious attachments; and later, disorganized attachment. In the 1980s, attachment theory was extended to adult relationships and attachment in adults, making it applicable beyond early childhood. Bowlby's theory integrated concepts from evolutionary biology, object relations theory, control systems theory, ethology, and cognitive psychology, and was most fully articulated in his trilogy, Attachment and Loss (1969–82).

Psychodynamic psychotherapy (or psychodynamic therapy) and psychoanalytic psychotherapy (or psychoanalytic therapy) are two categories of psychological therapies. Their main purpose is to reveal the unconscious content of a client's—or patient's—psyche in an effort to alleviate psychic tension, which is inner conflict within the mind that was created in a situation of extreme stress or emotional hardship, often in the state of distress. The terms "psychoanalytic psychotherapy" and "psychodynamic psychotherapy" are often used interchangeably, but a distinction can be made in practice: although psychodynamic psychotherapy largely relies on psychoanalytic theory, it employs substantially shorter treatment periods than traditional psychoanalytical therapies, including psychoanalysis. Studies on the specific practice of psychodynamic psychotherapy suggest that it is evidence-based. Long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy may offer small but statistically significant benefits over other therapies for complex mental disorders, though findings are limited by study differences and methodology.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy relies more on the interpersonal relationship between the client or patient and the therapist than other forms of depth psychology. They must have a strong relationship built heavily on trust. In terms of approach, this form of therapy uses psychoanalysis in a less intensive style of working, usually once or twice per week, often at the same frequency as many other therapies. The techniques draw on the theories of Sigmund Freud, Melanie Klein, and the object relations theory proponents, including Donald Winnicott, Harry Guntrip, and Wilfred Bion. Some psychodynamic therapists also draw on the work of Carl Jung, Jacques Lacan, and Robert Langs. Psychodynamic therapy has been used in individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, family therapy, and to understand and work with institutional and organizational contexts. In psychiatry, it is sometimes used for adjustment disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but more often for personality disorders.

Melanie Klein (/klaɪn/; German: [klaɪn]; née Reizes; 30 March 1882 – 22 September 1960) was an Austrian-British author and psychoanalyst known for her work in child analysis. She was the primary figure in the development of object relations theory. Klein's work primarily focused on the role of ambivalence and moral ambiguity in human development. Klein suggested that pre-verbal existential anxiety in infancy catalyzed the formation of the unconscious, which resulted in the unconscious splitting of the world into good and bad idealizations. In her theory, how the child resolves that split depends on the constitution of the child and the character of nurturing the child experiences. The quality of resolution can inform the presence, absence, and/or type of distresses a person experiences later in life.