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Dear murugappan,
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 .


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.


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.


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 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.

Affectionately,
Gandhibabu





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