Margaret Mahlers Theory Of Separation Individuation

Margaret Mahler’s theory of separation-individuation suggests that healthy psychological development is based on the child’s ability to gradually separate his or herself from the mother to form an individual identity (Flanagan, 2011). There are four phases of development that a child will go through to attain this individuation: the autistic phase, the symbiotic phase, and separation-individuation proper (Flanagan, 2011). The author can assume that Antonio completed his autistic phase successfully, as he can successfully distinguish between pleasure and pain (Robbins, Chatterjee, Canda, 2011). In addition to this, the case vignette states that he was a healthy baby to whom Hilda was very attentive. Antonio’s symbiotic phase, when the child and the mother are at their most complete union, seems to have progressed without major incident as well; Hilda was attentive to Antonio’s needs and would respond positively to her voice with a head turn and a smile (Fl anagan, 2011). The next phase, separation-individuation proper, includes four sub-phases: differentiation, practicing, rapprochement, and on the way to object constancy (Flanagan, 2011). It is within these sub-phases that Antonio is static; because of the abusive reactions of his father, Daniel, Hilda had to intervene during Antonio’s separation-individuation proper development. Instead of giving Antonio the freedom to crawl around and explore his world during the differentiation phase, Hilda picked him up for fear thatShow MoreRelatedApplying Mahler s Model Of Separation Individuation Essay2475 Words   |  10 Pages3. Apply Mahler’s model of separation-individuation to explain the child’s behavior. Mahler’s model of separation-individuation theorizes that after the first few weeks of infancy, in which the infant is either sleeping or barely conscious, the infant goes from a phase called normal-symbolic phase, in which it identifies itself as one with its mother within the larger environment (Margaret Mahler and the Separation-Individuation Theory). This then leads to the separation-individuation phase thatRead MorePsychotherapy Theories Practices Final Paper 1981 Words   |  8 Pagesp. 26). Through my experience as a client, student and soon-to-be therapist in the field of psychotherapy, I feel that the deeply embedded Western cultural assumptions of individualism enter into the very landscapes of our psyches, psychoanalytic theories, and psychological norms—ultimately permeating into the therapeutic space and coloring the therapist-client relationships. Alan Roland (2006) mentions how, â€Å"Our psychoanalytic emphasis, even in the relational schools, on aut onomy of choices, self-directionRead MoreA Biography Of Margaret S2193 Words   |  9 Pages A Biography of Margaret S. Mahler Krystal Williamson University of Holy Cross Abstract Born in Sopron, Hungary Margaret S Schà ¶nberger was a child with a troubled past. Her father, Gustav Schonberger, was a general practitioner and the chief public health officer for the district. Her mother, Eugenia Weiner, was a competent homemaker. Margaret had a younger sister by the name of Suzanne. The family was described as an upper middle class family, in which the children spoke Hungarian