4. Analysis of a Borderline Patient:
Some Theoretical Considerations
Presenter: |
Beth Meehan, MA, MSW |
Chair: |
Amanda E. Kottler, MA, Clin Psych |
Self Psychology Page | 22nd Conference Program
Summary
Kohut believed that a patient without a sufficiently sound nuclear self could not sustain the self-object transference and should not be analyzed. This is a case of a Borderline patient whose Borderline personality structure did not become apparent in the transference until the 4th year of treatment. At that time the patient's strongly idealizing transference gave way to an intense negative transference. At this juncture, the analyst found it useful to incorporate into her understanding of the patient's dynamics and the dynamics of the transference-countertransference, theory drawn from British Object Relations, notably the work of Balint and Winnicott. Jeffrey Seinfeld, American Object Relations theorist, believes it is possible to combine a self-psychological approach and object relations theory. Specifically, the patient's idealizing transference makes it possible to eventually analyze the tie to the bad object. The experience of the analyst in this case supports Seinfeld's view. The paper addresses the question of whether more recent theoretical developments in Self-Psychology, notably Intersubjective theory and motivational systems theory, adequately address the clinical phenomena as it unfolded in this treatment situation.