Editing Object relations theory (section)

{{Short description|School of psychoanalytic thought}}
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{{Psychoanalysis |Schools}}

'''Object relations theory''' is a school of thought in [[psychoanalytic theory]] and [[psychoanalysis]] centered around theories of stages of ego development. Its concerns include the relation of the [[psyche (psychology)|psyche]] to others in childhood and the exploration of relationships between external people, as well as internal images and the relations found in them.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory |last1=Greenberg |first1=Jay |last2=Mitchell |first2=Stephen |publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1983 |isbn=0674629752 |location=Cambridge, MA |pages=[https://archive.org/details/objectrelationsi00gree/page/12 12] |url=https://archive.org/details/objectrelationsi00gree/page/12}}</ref> Adherents to this school of thought maintain that the infant's relationship with the mother primarily determines the formation of their personality in adult life. [[Attachment theory|Attachment]] is the bedrock of the development of the self, i.e. the psychic organization that creates one's sense of identity.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |title=Family Therapy: An Overview |last1=Goldenberg |first1=Herbert |last2=Goldenberg |first2=Irene |publisher=Thomson Higher Education |year=2008 |isbn=9780495097594 |location=Belmont, CA |pages=160}}</ref>