Focus: Early childhood attachments and their impact on lifelong relationship skills.
Central Idea: Healthy upbringings are determined by a child's ability to separate psychologically from their caregiver, primarily the mother, and form their own identity.
Key Concepts
Object: Refers to people, parts of people, or things symbolically representing a person.
Individuation: Process of forming a stable personality and a clear sense of self separate from parents and others.
Phases of Development
1. Normal Autism (0-1 month)
Infant sleeps a lot and is aware only of themselves.
Mahler later discontinued this phase based on new infant research.
2. Normal Symbiotic Phase (1-5 months)
Infant becomes aware of the mother but lacks a sense of individuality.
Infant believes they are one with the mother and focuses solely on her.
3. Separation-Individuation
a. Differentiation and Hatching (5-9 months)
Infant becomes alert and interested in the caregiver's differences.
Actions: Pulling on the mother's hair and clothing due to curiosity.
b. Practicing (9-15 months)
Infant begins to explore away from the mother by crawling and walking.
Important: The caregiver must still be within the vicinity for the child's reassurance.
c. Rapprochement (15-24 months)
Child realizes the mother is a separate person and won't always be around.
Child seeks to become closer to the mother again.
Potential issue: If the caregiver/mother responds with impatience or unavailability, the child may develop a fear of abandonment.
4. Object Constancy (24-38 months)
Child understands that they and the mother are completely separate individuals.
Foundation of individuation: Forming a stable personality and a clear sense of self.
Healthy dynamics lead to unconscious support and comfort; lack of these can lead to insecurity and low self-esteem in adulthood.
Exam Tips
Key Focus: Relationships and early childhood dynamics (0-3 years).
Mahler's Central Focus: The relationship between the child and the mother.
Potential Exam Questions: Understanding of object relations theory, awareness of age ranges, and relationships impact.
Practical Advice
Reminders for studying: Use index cards, practice questions, and study buddies.
Importance: Anxiety management and consistent studying habits.