The Mind Object

Precocity and Pathology of Self-Sufficiency

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Psychology, Pathological Psychology, Psychoanalysis
Cover of the book The Mind Object by , Jason Aronson, Inc.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9781461631606
Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc. Publication: November 1, 1995
Imprint: Jason Aronson, Inc. Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9781461631606
Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc.
Publication: November 1, 1995
Imprint: Jason Aronson, Inc.
Language: English

How to Help People Who Have Only Their Minds to Love

Can a person relate to his or her own mind as an object, depend upon it to the exclusion of other objects, idealize it, fear it, hate it? Can a person live out a life striving to attain the elusive power of the mind's perfection, yielding to its promise while sacrificing the body's truth?

Winnicott was the first to describe how very early in life an individual can, in response to environmental failure, turn away from the body and its needs and establish "mental functioning as a thing in itself." Winnicott's elusive term, the mind-psyche, describes a subtle, yet fundamentally violent split in which the mind negates the role of the body, its feelings and functions, as the source of creative living. Later, Masud Khan elaborated on Winnicott's notions. This exciting book extends Winnicott's and Khan's ideas to introduce the concept of the mind object, a term that signifies the central dissociation of the mind separated from the body, as well as underscores its function.

When the mind takes on a life of its own, it becomes an object–separate, as it were, from the self. And because it is an object that originates as a substitute for maternal care, it becomes an object of intense attachment, turned to for security, solace, and gratification. Having achieved the status of an independent object, the mind also can turn on the self, attacking, demeaning, and persecuting the individual. Once this object relationship is established, it organizes the self, providing an aura of omnipotence. However, this precocious, schizoid solution is an illusion, vulnerable to breakdown and its associated anxieties.

Making a unique contribution, The Mind Object explores the dangers of knowing too much–the lure of the intellect–for the patient as well as for the therapist. The authors illuminate the complex pathological consequences that result from precocious solutions.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

How to Help People Who Have Only Their Minds to Love

Can a person relate to his or her own mind as an object, depend upon it to the exclusion of other objects, idealize it, fear it, hate it? Can a person live out a life striving to attain the elusive power of the mind's perfection, yielding to its promise while sacrificing the body's truth?

Winnicott was the first to describe how very early in life an individual can, in response to environmental failure, turn away from the body and its needs and establish "mental functioning as a thing in itself." Winnicott's elusive term, the mind-psyche, describes a subtle, yet fundamentally violent split in which the mind negates the role of the body, its feelings and functions, as the source of creative living. Later, Masud Khan elaborated on Winnicott's notions. This exciting book extends Winnicott's and Khan's ideas to introduce the concept of the mind object, a term that signifies the central dissociation of the mind separated from the body, as well as underscores its function.

When the mind takes on a life of its own, it becomes an object–separate, as it were, from the self. And because it is an object that originates as a substitute for maternal care, it becomes an object of intense attachment, turned to for security, solace, and gratification. Having achieved the status of an independent object, the mind also can turn on the self, attacking, demeaning, and persecuting the individual. Once this object relationship is established, it organizes the self, providing an aura of omnipotence. However, this precocious, schizoid solution is an illusion, vulnerable to breakdown and its associated anxieties.

Making a unique contribution, The Mind Object explores the dangers of knowing too much–the lure of the intellect–for the patient as well as for the therapist. The authors illuminate the complex pathological consequences that result from precocious solutions.

More books from Jason Aronson, Inc.

Cover of the book The Power of Specificity in Psychotherapy by
Cover of the book Modern Scholarship in the Study of Torah by
Cover of the book Matrix of the Mind by
Cover of the book Presence and the Present by
Cover of the book My Work with Borderline Patients by
Cover of the book Pastoral Care in Historical Perspective by
Cover of the book Rethinking Clinical Technique by
Cover of the book Storytelling and Spirituality in Judaism by
Cover of the book Understanding Personality through Projective Testing by
Cover of the book Caring and Compassion in Clinical Practice by
Cover of the book In the Image of God by
Cover of the book Torah, Light and Healing by
Cover of the book Creating the Capacity for Attachment by
Cover of the book Therapists Use of Self in Family Therapy by
Cover of the book Missing Us by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy