The Loving Experience of the Therapeutic Relationship as a Factor in Affective Maturation in Adults

Abstract

This analysis aims to clarify our hypothesis on the role of love experience as a factor of emotional maturation in adults. Affective experiences during childhood may influence adult self-esteem and sense of worth, as well as affective maturation and the capacity to love. Positive affective relationships, such as therapeutic ones, have the potential to heal entrenched negative emotions such as low self-esteem, and thereby foster confidence and joy. However, love alone does not always overcome the feeling of unworthiness that results from a deeper negative self-evaluation. Similarly, as Conrad Baars and Anna Terruwe elucidate, this sense of unworthiness often stems from early emotional wounds and unmet needs, which necessitate a healing journey beyond the realm of love alone. From the perspective of Baars's theory, integrated psychology can explain how for the person to develop a transcendental love proper to the affectively mature person, it is essential that the therapist helps the clients to (a) identify and heal affective deficiencies in the more immature stages of love, including the strengthening of self-esteem, and (b) promote psycho-spiritual integration, helping the clients to discover their personal worth and the meaning of their existence.