5.6 THE OBJECT RELATION THEORIES IN PSYCHOANALYSIS AND THE SIMILIARITIES IN SAIVA SIDDHANTHAM:(ANAL STAGE ANALOGUES)

FREUDIAN OBJECT RELATIONSHIPS:
In classical psychoanalysis Freud first proposed the topographical model and dynamic model. They postulate the conscious-preconscious-unconscious dimensions of mind and the id-ego-superego relationships.

Subsequently Freud proposed the genetic development of the psyche from birth to the fulfillment into adulthood status. Freud studied the adult patients and not the children for his study. He  used free association with the patients and used techniques like transference, counter-transference, resistance, working through and insight as psychoanalytic tools.

Freud as soon as he finished his Ego psychology theories passed into the Object relation theories. In the object relations school he studied the early attachments between child and mother. Freud chronologically ordered the child’s development as follows

1.ORAL STAGE(0-1 YEARS)
2.ANAL STAGE(1-3 YEARS)
3.PHALLIC STAGE(3-5 YEARS)
4.LATENT STAGE(5 –TILL PUBERTY)
5.GENITAL STAGE(PUBERTY TO ADULTHOOD)

In the oral stage the child’s primary concern is fixed in taking the feeds and hence it is named as so. The subsequent stage the child begins learn another function that is toilet training. Here the child has to learn to eliminate or retain the feces, hence its muscular function of anus comes to focus.In the oral stage the child has no ego relationships with external objects and is nsidered to be absorbed into self(self love). This state is called as-PRIMARY NARCISISSM[i].

In the following stage the child begins  relationship with the mother as soothing, comforting and protecting agent or object. This is called as object  CATHEXIS. But there are disturbances the child begins to notice, the object is not always present in need. The object does not protect at times. At these times the child withdraws its object forces (cathexis) from the mother and redirect back to earlier stage of self absorption (self love).This stage is known as –SECONDARY NARCISISSM. The process of to and fro object cathexis,  symbolically  denotes the simultaneous development of the mind. The secondary narcissism thus has an initial self love which is later directed towards the mother( god) then –later- redirected towards the self when the mother rejects the child or punishes the child( jeevan). The child uses this secondary redirection towards the self and hates the mother[ii].

This primary self love ,subsequent love towards mother and still later the redirected self love from the mother can be explained with an example from THIRUVASAGAM –NEETHAL VINNAPAM  verses.. The child retains the feces or eliminates it.

Hence it is called anal stage.The retention is called -anal eroticism and elimination as -anal sadism. The child perceives feces as precious object and reacts to mothers relationship to the pleasure with that.

The anal stage development in the psyche is retained and manifests with  psychopathologies in adult life.
Anal eroticism leads to obstinancy, rigidity, parsimony , cruelty and frugality..etc. The anal sadism leads to indecisiveness, untidiness, messiness, sadomasochism and procrastination etc.

Now the core points Freud emphasized were the child’s libidinal (which is described in ego psychology) drives towards mother is punctuated or disturbed by the needs of the child namely physical security, pain relief, pleasure, hunger relief, comfort needs etc. The child’s cognitive status is too poor to understand external reality hence it is in a stage of ignorance and does not know that feces is a waste and mother as permanent object.

This puts the CHILD-NARCISSTIC WITHDRAWAL-PHYSICAL PENURIES-IGNORANCE-MOTHER–CHILD cycle of events. The ANAL EROTICISM &SADISM [iii]are troubles the child learns in the progress towards the attachment object of the mother.

The NARCISISSM literally refers to self love, persists when the child could not get attached to mother adequately. It leads to disorders of self, in later life with mirror image transference and primitive idealization of the self. This school in self psychology thought,   propose  that the individual suffers from exaggerated self image, lack of empathy for others and sense of entitlement.

They may also go into borderline disorders with fragmented self image and identity when the ego functions are inadequate.

The phases of these saiva concepts are well described in the object relations schools and self psychology scools in the west in the 1950s.

The “object relation” school was subsequently redefined by neo-freudians like Melanie Kleine, Fairbrain and Winnicott.

The “self psychology” school further developed by other neo- Freudians like Margaret Mahler and Heinz Kohut.

---

[i] Freud suggested that exclusive self-love might not be as abnormal as previously thought and might even be a common component in the human psyche. He argued that narcissism "is the libidinal complement to the egoism of the instinct of self-preservation," or, more simply, the desire and energy that drives one’s instinct to survive. He referred to this as primary narcissism. According to Freud, people are born without a sense of themselves as individuals, or ego. The ego develops during infancy and the early part of childhood, only when the outside world, usually in the form of parental controls and expectations, intrudes upon primary narcissism, teaching the individual about the nature and standards of her social environment from which she can form the ideal ego, an image of the perfect self towards which the ego should aspire. 'As it evolved, the ego distanced itself from primary narcissism, formed an ego-ideal, and proceeded to cathect objects'. Freud regarded all libidinous drives as fundamentally sexual and suggested that ego libido (libido directed inwards to the self) cannot always be clearly distinguished from object-libido (libido directed to persons or objects outside oneself).An aspect frequently associated with primary narcissism appears in an earlier essay, 'Totem and Taboo, in which Freud describes his observations of children and primitive people. What he observed was called magical thinking, such as the belief that a person can impact reality by wishing or willpower. It demonstrates a belief in the self as powerful and able to change external realities, which Freud believed was part of normal human development http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysis

[ii] According to Freud, secondary narcissism occurs when the libido withdraws from objects outside the self, above all the mother, producing a relationship to social reality that includes the potential for megalomania. 'This megalomania has no doubt come into being at the expense of object-libido....This leads us to look upon the narcissism which arises through the drawing on of object-cathexes as a secondary one, superimposed upon a primary narcissism'. For Freud, while both primary and secondary narcissism emerge in normal human development, problems in the transition from one to the other can lead to pathological narcissistic disorders in adulthood.'This state of secondary narcissism constituted object relations of the narcissistic type, according to Freud', something he went on to explore further in "Mourning and Melancholia" - 'Freud's profoundest contribution to object relations theory...constitut[ing[ the dialectics of object relations and narcissism '.According to Freud, to care for someone is to convert ego-libido into object-libido by giving some self-love to another person, which leaves less ego-libido available for primary narcissism and protecting and nurturing the self. When that affection is returned so is the libido, thus restoring primary narcissism and self-worth. Any failure to achieve, or disruption of, this balance causes psychological disturbances. In such a case, primary narcissism can be restored only by withdrawing object-libido (also called object-love) to replenish ego-libido.According to Freud, as a child grows, and his ego develops, he is constantly giving of his self-love to people and objects, the first of which is usually his mother. This diminished self-love should be replenished by the affection and caring returned to him. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysis

[iii] Anal retentiveThe negative reactions from their parents, such as early or harsh toilet training, can lead the child to become an anal-retentive personality. If the parents tried forcing the child to learn to control their bowel movements, the child may react by deliberately holding back in rebellion. They will form into an adult who hates mess, is obsessively tidy, punctual, and respectful to authority. These adults can sometimes be stubborn and be very careful over their money.Anal expulsive adultThe opposite of this adult would be the anal expulsive adult. This adult had a liberal toilet training as opposed to the above reaction. These adults as children usually went to the bathroom at inappropriate times. As a child they soiled their pants wherever they pleased in rebellion of using the toilet. They did not like to be told where and when they should use the toilet. This adult will want to share things with their peers and give things away. These adults can sometimes be messy, disorganized, and rebellious. They will also be inconsiderate of others feelings.However, a child who has successfully completed this stage will be characterized as having used proper toilet training techniques throughout toilet training years and will successfully move on to the next stage of Freud's psychosexual developmental stages. Although the stage seems to be about proper toilet training, it is also about controlling behaviors and urges. A child needs to learn certain boundaries when he or she is young so that in the future there will not be contention regarding what is overstepping the boundaries.Anal stage related to cognitive psychologyAccording to the field of cognitive psychology which acknowledges the existence of internal mental states, Freud’s Anal Stage falls right into this category. These internal mental states are referring to belief, idea, motivation, and knowledge. Freud revolves the basis of his stages around these main ideas also. The result of whether a child completes this stage successfully or becomes fixated has a lot to do with the child’s knowledge of his or her past with their toilet training experience, the motivation he or she received from the parents during the stage, and the child’s own belief in how they should react to the situation. Cognitive psychology also focuses and studies on how people perceive, remember, and learn their surroundings, environment, and experiences. These are the three main reasons as to why a child will later on become either anal-retentive or anal-expulsive as an adult. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysis