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People are object-related, therefore the self is defined in terms of the relationship. The child/individual is object seeking rather than pleasure seeking. The self exists from the beginning and is not a result of the experience. It is precondition of it, and simultaneously pre- condition for further experiences and further development. The self provides continuity and colors further development. “The self in Fairbairn’s theory is a living growing, self-defining center that he viewed as the point of origin of human psychic process; it follows directly from this most basic of principles that it is possible for such a self to have relationships with other human beings even though they have not yet representationally differentiated as objects separate from the self. Initially this self relates to the world with little basis in experience for self-object differentiation.” (Rubens, 1994, p. 432) During the development, the subsystems within the self, which are part of Fairbairn’s endopsychic structure, form. Fairbairn (1963) defines it as follows: “… the original ego [self]) is split into three egos -a central (conscious) ego attached to the ideal object (ego-ideal), a repressed libidinal ego [self] attached to the exciting (or libidinal) object, and a repressed antilibidinal ego [self] attached to the rejecting (or antilibidinal) object. […] This internal situation represents a basic schizoid position, which is more fundamental than the depressive position described by Melanie Klein. […] The antilibidinal ego [self], in virtue of its attachment to the rejecting (antilibidinal) object, adopts an uncompromisingly hostile attitude to the libidinal ego [self], and thus has the effect of powerfully reinforcing the repression of the libidinal ego by the central ego.” (p.35) Along these lines, according to Robbins (1994), some Fairbairn’s Object relational theory ideas anticipate developments culminating in Kohut’s Self psychology. (Grotstein and Rinsley 1994). (See the separate entry OBJECT RELATIONS THEORIES) Donald Winnicott The central figure of the British Object Relations ‘Middle School’, Donald Winnicott’s historical and contemporary influence in the evolution of the concept of the Self extend far beyond his native England. While much more influential in Europe, his influence proliferates into much of contemporary thought of North and Latin American conceptualizations as well. Winnicott (1965) places the mother-child relationship at the center of self-development. In his model, the infant instinctively seeks the recognition and support of the mother. He views the infant’s nascent ‘self’ as capable of the ‘spontaneous gesture’ and ‘personal idea’ (Winnicott, 1960, p. 148). But the ‘self’ can only develop in the context of a series of interactions with a loving caretaker. Drawing on his years of experience in pediatrics, Winnicott emphasized the impact of the ‘real relationship’ between mother and child. In his view, the infant’s omnipotence is initially supported by the maternal ‘holding environment’; but inevitable parental failures, in the context of a ‘good enough mothering’ (Winnicott, 1953) allow the child to develop a resilient, healthy self (“the true self”). In the best-case scenario,
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