Separation-Individuation Theory and Attachment Theory
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8335483 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Harold P Blum (23 The Hemlocks Roslyn Estates, NY 11576,, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2004 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 535-553 |
| Publication date | 2004-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-0651 • E-ISSN: 1941-2460 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00030651040520020501 |
| PMID | 15222460 |
| OpenAlex | W2149607984 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 20 |
| References cited | 13 |
Separation-individuation and attachment theories are compared and assessed in the context of psychoanalytic developmental theory and their application to clinical work. As introduced by Margaret Mahler and John Bowlby, respectively, both theories were initially regarded as diverging from traditional views. Separation-individuation theory, though it has had to be corrected in important respects, and attachment theory, despite certain limitations, have nonetheless enriched psychoanalytic thought. Without attachment an infant would die, and with severely insecure attachment is at greater risk for serious disorders. Development depends on continued attachment to a responsive and responsible caregiver. Continued attachment to the primary object was regarded by Mahler as as intrinsic to the process of separation-individuation. Attachment theory does not account for the essential development of separateness, and separation-individuation is important for the promotion of autonomy, independence, and identity. Salient historical and theoretical issues are addressed, including the renewed interest in attachment theory and the related decline of interest in separation-individuation theory
Attachment theory · Autonomy · Context (archaeology) · Developmental psychology · Individuation · Object relations theory · Psychoanalysis · Psychoanalytic theory · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics · Psychology · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
Inter-Rater Reliability of the Structured Interview of DSM-IV Personality (Sidp-IV) in an Adolescent Outpatient Population
Polycrisis, Emotional Regulation, Personality Traits, and Well-Being of Young People Entering Adulthood
Childhood Trauma and Gender Attitudes Among Rural Left‐Behind Adolescents in China
Beneath the Idyllic Surface
The psychological birth of art
Postpartum depression and attachment
A psychoanalytic view of reactions to the coronavirus pandemic in China
Observations on the Centrality of Security in Psychoanalytic Supervision
Thai-Muslim young adults’ narrative identities as multilingual learners
Self-Appropriation between Social Mourning and Individuation
Therapists’ Experiences of Mother–infant Psychoanalytic Treatment
When Too Much Help is of No Help
Introduction
The status of developmental curriculum in North American psychoanalysis
Integrative Individuation
Psychoanalytic Developmental Theory
Investigating Merger
Impact of Siblings on Development Across the Lifespan
Looking Forward and Looking Back
Expansion and Regression in Oceanic Experience
The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment
The Self and the Object World
The Infant's Response to Entrapment between Contradictory Messages in Face-to-Face Interaction
Identity
The Restoration of the Self
Reapproaching Mahler
Maternal perception of the neonate as related to development
The International Journal of Psychoanalysis
The Concepts of Attachment and Bonding
Attachment and Borderline Personality Disorder
The Organized Categories of Infant, Child, and Adult Attachment
| Unique citing works | 20 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,11 |
| Citation span | 2008 - 2026 (19) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 19 |