Assessing Object Relations Phenomena

Originally published in 1986, this volume presents an object-relations model applicable to both the psychotherapy process and to a broad variety of psychological test data. This model, according to Dr Kissen, is based on three constructs, operationally defined: self-representation, “the various physiognomic modes by which the individual symbolizes an experiential image of himself and its associated affects”.; object representation, “the various physiognomic modes by which the individual symbolizes an experiential image of a significant other and its associated affects”; and ego state, “more complex and relatively differentiated unit of self- and object-representation and their associated affects.”

The first four chapters are devoted to the study of the diagnostic assessment process from the vantage point of the Rorschach Inkblot test. The Human Figure Drawing, Early Memories, and Thematic Apperception tests are then taken up in order. The authors go on to explore object relations in the testing process and their implications for an object-relations approach to psychotherapy. The final section is devoted to the study of self- and object-representational processes underlying certain psychosocial states. It includes chapters on the interaction of married couples, children’s mental construction of the object, patients with narcissistic character pathology, and borderline disorders.