PERFORMANCE THEORY & THEORIST

Performance Theory & Theorist

Abstract

The purpose of this research paper is to give a brief overview of the performance theory and the performance theorist. OverviewObject relations is a psychodynamic approach to understanding human behaviour, development, relationships, psychopathology and psychotherapy. Many clinicians shy away from object relations because they believe it to be overly complex. Indeed, it is complex in its details and some of its theorists like Otto Kernberg explore these details in great depth.However, there is also a straightforward perspective of object relations that is easily comprehended and helpful in understanding human relationships. In fact, after clinicians understand object relations from this perspective, they find that it intuitively reflects certain truths about all human relationships, from the early relationships of infancy, to friendships, to marriage, to the therapeutic relationship. Even students who are new to object relations quickly realize this.

Performance Theory & Theorist

Object Relation Theory

Key Concepts

Object relations theory is a modern adaptation of psychoanalytic theory that places less emphasis on the drives of aggression and sexuality as motivational forces and more emphasis on human relationships as the primary motivational force in life (Abraham, 2007). Object relations theorists believe that we are relationship seeking rather than pleasure seeking as Freud suggested. The importance of relationships in the theory translates to relationships as the main focus of psychotherapy, especially the relationship with the therapist.

Freud originally used the term "object" to mean anything an infant directs drives toward for satiation. Drives are of two types: libidinal and aggressive. Accordingly, objects became a key component of Freud's drive/structural model of the human psyche. Since Freud, however, many theorists such as Klein, Faribairn, Winnicott, Jacobson, Kernberg and Kohut have moved, in varying degrees, toward a relational/structural model of the psyche in which an "object" is the target of relational needs in human development (Fairbairn, 2004). Modern object relations theorists believe that humans have an innate drive to form and maintain relationships, and that this is the fundamental human need which forms a context against which other drives such as libidinal and aggressive drives gain meaning.

Within modern object relations theory, objects can be people (mother, father, others) or things, such as transitional objects with which we form attachments. These objects and the developing child's relationship with them are incorporated into a self, and become the building blocks of the self-system. Some have asked; why not just call it "human relations" instead "object relations"? Kernberg has suggested that we could do this without changing the meaning of the theory (Greenberg, 2003). However, I believe it is important to continue using the term object because we form relationships with things other than people. In childhood, we form relationships with our stuffed animals, toys and pets (transitional objects). Later in life, some people form intense and even self-destructive relationships with food and alcohol, as well as with other people. So the term object is more inclusive for our understanding of how humans form and preserve a sense of self, as well as relationships with ...