The Object Relations View

Dr. Kavaler-Adler, founder of the Object Relations Institute for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis (NYC) discusses the view on depression from the perspective of the object relations clinical theory. She describes depression as not something we need to "get rid of", but as a defensive state against one's feelings of hurt, guilt, anger - often related to one's internal world's relationships.

Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler discusses so-called Klein-Winnicott dialectic, which enriched the object relations clinical theory and technique, as Melanie Klein and Donald Winnicott complemented each other, although they were perceived to be rather polarized.

Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler explains the concept of psychic regret as it understood by the object relations practitioners.

Dr. Kavaler-Adler, Exec Director of the Object Relations Institute for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis explains the concept of the Demon-lover, and how it is related to maturation of one's psyche, to separation-individuation process, to creativity, and possibility for change.

Dr. Kavaler-Adler talks about bad objects  (in our psyche) and how loyalty to those bad objects explains our feelings about the world and our behavior .

Through all our lives, we experience losses, which we mourn. In a healthy case of developmental mourning, we are able to grow, personally and psychically, while in pathological mourning, we are a subject of melancholia.

Dr. Kavaler-Adler opens up a difficult topic of fear of success (which is related to self-sabotage), and describes it through clinical examples.

Self-sabotage can present itself in different shapes and forms, even it can present itself as "fear of success". Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler provides very accessible clinical examples of self-sabotage, and she explains the intra-psychic play of our primary objects, and loyalty to bad objects.

Do you have problems meeting the dead lines? Making time lines? Both? Are you always ready for your presentation or an exam weeks and weeks ahead? Are you able to work only under significant time pressure? Dr. Kavaler Adler opens up the difficult topic of perception of time as an object or a persona, which can be felt as persecutory or holding.

Dr. Kavaler-Adler provides explanation and clinical examples of the phenomenon of projective identification, as well as offers explanation of differences between projection and projective identification. Understanding these differences is super-important in clinical practice and in everyday life.