The Research On Fairbairn's Theory Of Object-relationships Of Personality

W. R. D. Fairbairn (1889-1964) , who was an excellent psychoanalyst of Scotland, participated in and helped launch object-relationships revolution in psychoanalytic history, and was one of the founders of object-relationships theory. He revised and developed the theories of Freud, Klein and others based on his own particular clinical experience, and formulated a kind of pure object-relation theory of personality.Fairbairn challenged the drive theory of Freud, and noted that the motivity of personality was not libido but object-relationships. He thought that the ego was the core of the personality, and advanced a novel theory of the personality structure, namely the theory of the endopsychic structure, which differed from Freudian. He used terms of object-relationships and dependence to describe the development of personality, and noted the nature of the development of the personality was the maturity of ego's object-relationships; and the relations existing between mother and infant was the primary factor which affected the development of the personality. He also synthesized Freudian phases theory and Klein's concept of position and hypothesized a new schema of the development of personality.Corresponding to his pure object-relationships theory, Fairbairn developed a revised psychopathology. He believed that schizoid conditions constituted the most deep-seated of all psychopathological states. Various neuroses, such as obsessional neurosis, phobic state, hysteria and paranoia all resulted from the employment of some specific defensive techniques to deal with the basic conflict in transitional phase. He also provided special and convictive explanations for some individual problems, for example, the abused tendency of the abused women and the war neuroses. In clinical practice, Faribairn pointed out that the aim of treatment was to release the bad object from the unconsciousness, reduce the split of ego and achieve the integrity of the personality of the patients. And the focus of the analysis was the relations between analyst and patient.