Psychoanalysis and Object Relations
Object Relations Case Study of Kelly
Conceptualization and Treatment Plan 1
Kathy L. Moore
Indiana-Wesleyan University
Abstract
The object relations approach in counseling deals with the client, in this case Kelly, and how he seeks objects; other people, not as a means to satisfying instinctual drives by classic psychoanalytical beliefs, but because the object-seeking process begins very early in life in the early developmental stages, and the mother-child relationship ( Murdock, N., 2009, p.82). Kelly’s trust issues seem to stem from his sense of emotional abandonment from his mother at a young age. It is the hope of this counselor to provide Kelly with a therapeutic environment, where he will feel a sense of openness and provide him with a relationship that he feels that he has missed in his earlier years.
Object Relations Case Study of Kelly
A Conceptualization and Treatment Plan According to Westen, D., 1991 although psychoanalytic theory originally focused primarily on the vicissitudes of the hypothesized sexual and aggressive drives, the clinical practice has been oriented toward the individual’s thoughts and feelings about people; social and sexual “objects” in psychoanalytic parlance, hence the term object relations. According to Murdock, N., (2009) the object relations theorists generally reject classic drive theory and instead argue that we seek objects in and of themselves, not as a means to satisfying instinctual drives. It is with this pretext that we assist our client to gain insight into his feelings of inadequacy, his distorted perception of self, and his trust or lack of issues.
Presenting Concerns Kelly presents himself with feelings of terrible anger. He states that recently he has had to quit his graduate program and his job at a children’s home due to financial difficulties. He started driving a tractor trailer so that he would be able to pay off his already acquired
Conceptualization and Treatment Plan 1
Kathy L. Moore
Indiana-Wesleyan University
Abstract
The object relations approach in counseling deals with the client, in this case Kelly, and how he seeks objects; other people, not as a means to satisfying instinctual drives by classic psychoanalytical beliefs, but because the object-seeking process begins very early in life in the early developmental stages, and the mother-child relationship ( Murdock, N., 2009, p.82). Kelly’s trust issues seem to stem from his sense of emotional abandonment from his mother at a young age. It is the hope of this counselor to provide Kelly with a therapeutic environment, where he will feel a sense of openness and provide him with a relationship that he feels that he has missed in his earlier years.
Object Relations Case Study of Kelly
A Conceptualization and Treatment Plan According to Westen, D., 1991 although psychoanalytic theory originally focused primarily on the vicissitudes of the hypothesized sexual and aggressive drives, the clinical practice has been oriented toward the individual’s thoughts and feelings about people; social and sexual “objects” in psychoanalytic parlance, hence the term object relations. According to Murdock, N., (2009) the object relations theorists generally reject classic drive theory and instead argue that we seek objects in and of themselves, not as a means to satisfying instinctual drives. It is with this pretext that we assist our client to gain insight into his feelings of inadequacy, his distorted perception of self, and his trust or lack of issues.
Presenting Concerns Kelly presents himself with feelings of terrible anger. He states that recently he has had to quit his graduate program and his job at a children’s home due to financial difficulties. He started driving a tractor trailer so that he would be able to pay off his already acquired