Object Relations and Self-Psychology

Extract

[...] She was raised by a family that dominated and criticized her. This led to a lack of attachment bonds, which generally provide security. The inconsistency and dismissive attitudes to her needs may have worried Ruth, and she felt insecure about caregivers' availability and responsiveness. Consequently, Ruth might display traits typical of insecure attachments, such as demanding extra reassurance or even pulling away from intimacy to prevent rejection. These dependencies are the key factors that make relationship-building hard for Ruth as she tries to overcome her deep-rooted fears of rejection and being unacceptable. [...]

[...] Instead, she greatly emphasized external expectations rather than authentic wants and needs. Lack of attuned caregiving made Ruth feel ignored and worthless; thus, it was tough for her to build secure relationships and become assertive. 2. True self/false self-structure: The upbringing of Ruth in a rigid and authoritarian family can be plausibly related to the formation of a false self. To deal with the gap between who she was and the norms she was expected to follow, Ruth wore a mask that fit the standards of families and society at that time. [...]

[...] While Ruth struggles to make decisions and her life is full of doubts about freedom, choice, and responsibility, she demonstrates existential problems. Amid this eternal tug of freedom and fear of its consequences, Ruth struggles psychologically with the moral gravity of making a choice. The existential need to face the status of freedom and responsibility gives Ruth the remarkable opportunity to construct the rest of her life without the dictates of the people around her. I would address Ruth's existential concerns in therapy, guiding her to face her fears and insecurities and welcome the freedom to create her significance. [...]

[...] Amid her family, Ruth feels loneliness and strangeness, as if she is being cut off from the world. Her duties as a wife and mother, which somehow give structure and meaning to her existence, present a dilemma when she longs for genuine social relationships. Ruth's agony of being on her marks the presence of a much broader existential emptiness where she struggles to find sense and significance outside her family roles. This existential solitude prompts her to look into the core of herself and the underlying purpose of her earthly existence. [...]

[...] She did not disconnect herself from the tasks of a wife and mother, which indicates that she suffered from a problem of identity induced by outside and society. This shows just how split she is, if at all, because she finds it impossible to have what she wants to align herself with what people expect of her. Ruth's self-identification is very difficult because she cannot do it from within herself or in the context of relationships. Because she is in crisis, she is made to believe she is very lonely. [...]