Separation-individuation Process Research Articles

Separation Anxiety: The Core of Attachment and Separation-Individuation

ABSTRACT This paper, written in honor of Anni Bergman, focuses on the concept of separation anxiety as it was conceptualized and developed in attachment theory by Bowlby and in separation-individuation theory by Mahler and colleagues. The focus is on how separation anxiety manifests differentially in individuals with secure versus insecure attachment and in different subphases of the separation-individuation process, with emphasis on the areas of overlap and divergence in the two traditions. The paper then reviews recent research that has focused on how separation anxiety has provided a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD, complicating the treatment course of individuals with these disorders. These findings have contributed to the delineation of the DSM-5 diagnosis of Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and to the development of new assessment instruments to measure it. We consider how separation anxiety has been assessed in several treatment studies of these disorders and how it is related to other factors such as insecure attachment and reflective function (RF, mentalization in attachment relationships). The ways in which recent research on separation anxiety in individuals with psychopathology, including depression and PTSD, has affirmed and expanded the original formulations of Bowlby and Bergman and her colleagues is also discussed.

Separation-Individuation in Patterns in Turkey: An Investigation of Developmental, Gender and Contextual Differences

IntroductionThere is still a paucity of studies exploring the impacts of teenage employment on mental health and development. In many developing countries, youths participate intensively in the teenage labor force. The involvement of adolescent in the world of work would promote the development of responsibility and prepare the young person to function more effectively in adult roles.ObjectivesThe purposes of the present study were to examine the adolescent separation-individuation among an understudied and vulnerable population; and to examine the Separation-Individuation Test of Adolescence (SITA) for revealing the differentiation working male group from student male group.MethodsParticipants completed the SITA. The group of study 1 consisted of 618 high school and 252 university students between the ages of 14 and 24, 489 of which were girls and 381 were boys. In Study 2, participants were 269 male adolescents between the ages of 15 and 17, 141 of which were full-time worker and 128 high school students. In study 1, these results were consistent with the rapprochement subphase of the separation-individuation process in adolescence -the striking desires for intimacy and independence.ResultsOur results support the gender specific patterns of identity formation and the argument that connectedness in close relationships plays a central role in the female identity development. Interestingly, there were no significant gender differences in the tendency to view close interpersonal relationships as threatening to their sense of independence and selfhood, and to deny or avoid dependency needs. The reason for this might be the cultural differences between the individualistic and collectivistic cultures. In study 2, working males could be distinguished from student counterparts by their increased tendency to seek close interpersonal ties with caretakers. The finding also suggested that student males reflected characteristics of the traditional view of adolescents’ independence striving. Across both studies it was found that the traditional Turkish child-rearing patterns have been characterized by an emphasis on interpersonal relationships and close ties with family than individualistic culturesConclusionsOur results revealed that the subscales of SITA –especially dependency denial, rejection expectancy, nurturance seeking, engulfment anxiety, and teacher enmeshment- can help clinicians for assessing the adolescent separation-individuation process in a reliable way. We suggested that adolescent employment would lead to the difficulties in developing bonds with parents because of the adolescents’ long work hours, the early involvement with the world of work would lead to the withdrawal from the more dependent, preadultlike student role, and student adolescents would reflect characteristics of the traditional view of adolescents’ independence striving.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Separation-individuation from the community among religious Jewish teens in Israel.

We wished to understand the contribution of personal, family, and community factors to the risky behaviors (RBs) of religious Jewish teens in Israel, and whether sense of community belonging mediated the religious estrangement/RB association. A convenience sample comprised 645 adolescents aged 14-19 (420 female/225 male) from Israel's national-religious sector was used in this study. Sociodemographic characteristics, self-esteem, future orientation, degree of religious estrangement, perceived parental acceptance, and sense of community belonging were reported. Being a male, older, and living in a rural community were associated with more RBs, as were higher religious estrangement and less acceptance from the mother. Sense of community was found to partially mediate the religious estrangement/RB association. We extended Blos's conceptualization of adolescence as a second separation-individuation from the parents to include a parallel process of separation-individuation from the community. The results may help in designing interventions for adolescents in religious communities.

Evaluation of Night Eating Syndrome within the Context of Object Relations through Projective Tests

Psikanalitik kurama göre erken dönem nesne ilişkilerinin niteliği ruhsallığın gelişiminde büyük önem taşımaktadır. Psikanalitik çalışmalarda, çocukluk dönemindeki engellenmelerin, duygusal ihmalin ve ayrılma-bireyleşme süreciyle ilgili sorunların yeme bozukluğunun gelişiminde etkili olduğu görüşü hâkimdir. Bununla birlikte psikanalitik teoriler, yemek yeme, rüya görme ve ruhsal süreçler arasındaki ilişkiyi daima vurgulamıştır. Buradan yola çıkılarak bu çalışmada, erken dönem nesne ilişkilerindeki sorunsalların yeme bozukluğuna etkisi incelenmiştir. Donald W. Winnicott ve Wilfred R. Bion’un kuramları temel alınarak, uyku sorununun da eşlik ettiği gece yeme sendromunun ele alınması çalışmanın asıl odak noktasıdır. Bu bağlamda projektif testler olan Rorschach ve Tematik Algı Testi aracılığıyla gece yeme sendromu olan obez bir kadın danışanın ruhsal süreçleri incelenmiştir. Psikanalitik yönelimli klinik görüşmelerden sonra sırasıyla Rorschach ve Tematik Algı Testi uygulanmıştır. Fransız Okulu'nun içerik analizi yöntemine bağlı kalınarak psikanalitik yönelimli yarı yapılandırılmış klinik görüşmeler ve projektif test bulguları değerlendirilmiştir. Ayrıca danışanın ruhsal süreçleri ile rüya görememe arasındaki ilişki psikanalitik kuram temel alınarak yorumlanmıştır.

Examination of Separation-Individuation Characteristics on the Relationship between Fanaticism and Agression in Young Adults

This study addresses the effects of separation-individuation processes and fanaticism levels of young adults on the emergence of aggressive behavior. The sample group consists of 377 young adults between 18 and 22 of age. The participants are asked to respond to the Separation-Individuation Test of Adolescence (SITA), Fanaticism Scale for Football Fans (FSFFF), and the Buss-Perry Aggression Scale (BPAS). Chi-square, Pearson Product-Moment correlation analysis, One-way ANOVA, and moderation analysis were used for the statistical analysis. The physical and verbal aggression scores of the males are higher than the female participants. The separation-individuation scores of female participants are higher than that of the male participants. The fanaticism levels and physical-verbal aggression, and anger of the participants are correlated positively. Finally, the separation-individuation level is observed to have moderating effect on the correlation between aggression and fanaticism. The findings show that the fanatical supporters carry their self-needs to the team-self due to the problems they experience in the process of separation from their parents while engaging in aggressive behaviors. Therefore, considering the separation processes of individuals with their parents in studies aimed at preventing aggressive behaviors due to fanaticism will increase the success of the studies.

Unpaid balance of the transgenerational legacy: the separation-individuation process involved in the early genesis of eating disorders

RESUMO: Este estudo investigou a experiência de maternagem em mulheres cujas filhas foram diagnosticadas com anorexia nervosa ou bulimia nervosa, buscando identificar aspectos do vínculo precoce mãe-filha que guardam relação com os sintomas psicopatológicos. Partimos da suposição de que sintomas graves na esfera alimentar expressam elementos específicos da dinâmica relacional precoce com a figura materna. Na perspectiva da teoria da transmissão psíquica transgeracional, conjecturamos que a constituição do sintoma tem como elemento articulador um vínculo fusional e involucra uma tentativa malograda de colocar um traço de separação e proteção da filha contra intrusões e excessos maternos. São estabelecidas relações com conteúdos transgeracionais.

Perspectives croisées des adolescents et des soignants sur les médiations thérapeutiques en psychiatrie : une étude qualitative

ObjectiveWe aimed to explore the adolescents’ and caregivers’ lived experiences during therapeutic mediation in an adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit. MethodsThis qualitative study, using semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation, took place in the CHU of Rouen. Data were collected, until theoretical sufficiency was reached, through semi-structured interviews and a photo-elicitation tool. Inductive Process to analyze the Structure of Lived-Experience was used to process the data. ResultsEighteen participants were included, 10 caregivers and 8 teenagers. The crossed analyses of adolescents’ and caregivers’ interviews showed four lived experiences: to verbalize, to meet, to feel with the body and to grow up. The analysis concluded there was a divergence in the representation of the purpose of therapeutics mediations between adolescents and caregivers.Perspectives We suggest verbalization is not central. We propose to go through the body and to consider the reactivation of the separation individuation process.

The Failure of Separation and Individuation in Adolescence Leading to Addictions

As addictive behaviours are prevalent during adolescence, our article attempts to extend the understanding of addictions by assessing changes in aspects of separation-individuation theory and the relation of those to addictions (alcohol, substance use and virtual addictions)—investigating the quality of the relationships of these cases. Our hypothesis is that there is a relationship between failure of the successful separation-individuation stage during the child’s developmental period and addictions later on during adolescence period. Our study is based on empirical data deriving from projective tests, the Rorschach 10 inkblot test, of patients experiencing that type of relationship patterns, their separation from the primordial object and their capacity to mentalize. This empirical study explores the psychological profile of two adolescents with addiction. A sample of two adolescents (16 and 17 years old) whose addictive behaviour had provoked difficulties in their educational and family environment was engaged in psychoanalytic psychotherapy sessions. Two Rorschach’s inkblot tests were administrated in the initial session in order to relate patients to their addictive behaviour and to examine the relation of separation-individuation phases with the ability to mentalize and the addiction patterns of the above persons. Results suggested that there is a correlation between separation-individuation and proneness to addictive behaviour which can imply that adolescents with failure of separation-individuation processes are more likely to develop addictive behaviours due to non-internalized secure objects during childhood and to failure of mentalizing.

Separation Individuation and Transitional Object Use in Daily Smoker Adolescents

Background Smoking is an important problem in adolescence. Early developmental trajectories are also associated with cigarette smoking. Objectives The present study aims to evaluate the separation-individuation process and use of transitional objects in daily smoker adolescents. Method The research included 97 adolescents who were daily smokers and 210 adolescents who were nonsmokers. Transitional object assessment questionnaire, strength and difficulties questionnaire- adolescent form(SDQ), children’s depression inventory(CDI) and state-trait anxiety inventory for children(STAI-C), separation and individuation test of adolescence(SITA) were applied. Results SITA subscales scores of engulfment anxiety, need denial, and rejection expectancy was higher and separation anxiety, teacher enmeshment, nurturance seeking scores were statistically significantly lower in smoker adolescents than nonsmokers. In logistic regression analysis, separation anxiety(odds ratio [OR] 0.93; 95% confidence interval[CI] 0.87-0.98), teacher enmeshment(OR 0.93; 95% CI 0.88-0.98), practicing mirroring(OR 1.05; 95% CI 1.02,1.08) and rejection expectancy (OR 1.06 95% CI 1.02,1.11) were found to be predictors of daily smoking. The use of a childhood transitional object for feeling tired and the use of an adolescent transitional object for feeling anxious and tired was found to be significantly higher in smokers. Conclusions There are some differences in the process of separation-individuation and the use of transitional objects in the smoker group. This suggests that early developmental characteristics may be associated with smoking. Further studies are needed to better understand the causal relationship between smoking and the separation-individuation process and transitional object use.

Uzamış Yas: Ayrılma-Bireyleşme Süreçleri ve Duygu Düzenleme Güçlüğü Temelinde Bir İnceleme

Çalışmanın amacı, erken çocukluk dönemine dayanan ayrılma-bireyleşme süreçlerindeki problemlerin ve duygu düzenleme güçlüklerinin uzamış yas belirtilerini ne ölçüde yordadığının belirlenmesidir. Çalışmanın örneklemi 123 (%58) kadın, 89 (%42) erkek olmak üzere yaş ortalaması 26.26 (S = 7.55) olan 212 kayıp yaşamış katılımcıdan oluşmaktadır. Veri toplama amacıyla, Kişisel Bilgi Formu, Karmaşık Yas Envanteri (KYE), Ayrılma-Bireyleşme Envanteri (ABE) ve Duygu Düzenleme Güçlüğü Ölçeği-Kısa Form (DDGÖ-16) kullanılmıştır. Korelasyon analizi sonucunda uzamış yas belirtilerinin ayrılma bireyleşme envanteri ve duygu düzenleme güçlüğü ölçeği arasında pozitif yönde ilişkiler olduğu görülmüştür. Araştırmanın temel amacı doğrultusunda yürütülen hiyerarşik regresyon analizi sonucuna göre ise uzamış yas belirtilerini ayrılma-bireyleşme farklılaşma ve ilişki problemleri ile duygu düzenleme güçlüğü açıklık alt boyutunun pozitif yönde yordadığı görülmüştür. Son modelde açıklanan toplam varyans %30 olmuştur. Bulgular uzamış yasta ayrılma-bireyleşme ve duygu düzenleme süreçlerinin önemini ortaya koyan ampirik veriler sunmaktadır. Aynı zamanda mevcut çalışma ile M. Mahler’in (1974) ayrılma bireyleşme kuramı ve duygu düzenleme güçlükleri temelinde uzamış yas belirtilerini inceleyerek özgün bulgulara ulaşıldığı düşünülmektedir. Elde edilen sonuçlar uzamış yas belirtilerinde erken dönem yaşantılardan temel alan ayrışma, bireyleşme, ilişki süreçleri, duygu düzenleme süreçlere yapılacak klinik müdahalelerin önemine de işaret etmektedir.

The imaginary audience and the personal fable in relation to the separation-individuation process during adolescence

Lapsley’s (1993) “New Look” model for the interpretation of adolescentegocentrism, as an alternative to the classic cognitive one formulated by Elkind (1967), was tested in this study. According to the “New Look” model, the two manifestations of adolescent egocentrism – the imaginary audience and the personal fable – are adaptive coping mechanisms used by adolescents in their attempt to deal with the stressful developmental aim of separation-individuation. Two-hundred ninety seven adolescents 11-18 years’ old completed the Imaginary Audience Scale (Elkind & Bowen, 1979), the New Imaginary Audience Scale (Lapsley, Fitzgerald, Rice, & Jackson, 1989), the Personal Fable Scale (Elkind, personal communication, August 10, 1993), the New Personal Fable Scale (Lapsley et al., 1989), and the Separation-Individuation Test of Adolescence (Levine, Green, & Millon, 1986; Levine & Saintonge, 1993). The “New Look” model was generally supported by the data. The various dimensions of separation were significantly associated with the imaginary audience, whereas the dimensions of individuation had stronger links with the personal fable. In addition, some associations were found between the imaginary audience and individuation, as well as between the personal fable and separation. Consistent age and gender differences in the variables studied were found. Results are discussed in the framework of the literature on adolescent egocentrism and on parent-adolescent relations.

The association between separation individuation process and binge eating disorder in adolescents aged 12-18.

To evaluate the associations between separation individuation (SI) process and binge eating disorder (BED) in adolescence aged 12-18years old, as most challenges related to SI process and eating disorders (EDs) tend to arise in this age group. This is a cross-sectional study of 30 adolescents diagnosed with BED and 332 healthy adolescents as a control group. All adolescents diagnosed with BED underwent clinical interviews and all adolescents in the study filled in self-reported questionnaires. Our results highlighted higher levels of need denial (p = 0.014) and rejection expectancy (p = 0.008) of SI difficulties in adolescents with BED as compared to the ones without BED. This is the first study of its nature providing good evidence for the association between SI process and BED in adolescents. Although these difficulties in SI process by themselves are not evidence of causative link, these results can contribute to the understanding of the causative factors in BED and underpin further research. The correlation can be used as a consideration in the prevention and treatment of BED. Level III, case-control analytic study.

말러의 ‘분리-개별화 과정’으로 본 교회 이탈 현상 : 신앙의 건강성을 위한 ‘최적의 거리 두기’의 제안

말러의 ‘분리-개별화 과정’으로 본 교회 이탈 현상 : 신앙의 건강성을 위한 ‘최적의 거리 두기’의 제안

The Quest for Meaning Around Self-Injurious and Suicidal Acts: A Qualitative Study Among Adolescent Girls.

Introduction: Suicide and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are major problems in adolescent psychiatry and share numerous clinical characteristics. The principal objective of this study is to describe the subjective experience of adolescent girls and young women who present NSSI and/or suicidal behaviors and to determine the common aspects and the specificities of each experience.Method: This exploratory study is based on a procedure that is qualitative, phenomenological, and inductive. The data were collected from two semi-structured interviews each of 18 girls and young women aged 12–21 years, who were receiving care from a psychiatrist specializing in adolescents and who at least once had harmed themselves by NSSI or attempted suicide, or both. The thematic data analysis was performed by applying the methods of interpretative phenomenological analysis.Results: The results are described around four superordinate themes: relationships with the self, with others/otherness, with the body, and with death; they are then subdivided into 13 themes. Several themes appeared common to both types of behavior, especially the relational dimension of self-harming acts. The process of separation-individuation seems complex for these youth.Conclusion: The results underline the relational aspects of the self-harming behavior (NSSI or suicidal) among adolescent girls. These aspects also appear to be expressed in the family sphere, the social sphere, in contact with peers, and also at a societal level when the community no longer addresses adolescents' difficulties. When the process of subjectification does not appear to reach completion, self-aggressive behavior is seen as an ultimate attempt to regain a feeling of autonomy.

Spiritual belief and its link with potentially addictive behaviors in a youth sample in Switzerland.

Earlier studies suggested a positive impact of spirituality on addictive disorders, but this effect has rarely been studied in a large adolescent and young adult population. To examine the association between spiritual beliefs (general belief, the supporting role of spiritual belief, the critical role of spiritual belief) and potentially addictive behaviors (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and other illegal drugs, excessive Internet use and gambling). Data were collected using online self-report questionnaires among a sample of 5179 adolescents and young adults aged 15-24 years in post-mandatory education in Switzerland. Statistical analysis at bivariate and multivariate level was performed. At the bivariate level, spiritual beliefs were linked to a lower risk of tobacco smoking, alcohol misuse and cannabis use as well as an increased risk of Internet overuse and gambling. However, at the multivariate level, controlling for age, gender, language and place of birth, significant associations were found only for alcohol misuse, Internet overuse and gambling. The study provides evidence that spiritual belief could protect youth from the risk of alcohol misuse but could also increase the risk of excessive Internet use and gambling. The role of spiritual beliefs in preventing or motivating these problematic behaviors is of great interest for adolescent health care providers and should be considered in the light of the separation-individuation process and transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Learning to separate together, the separation-individuation group

The 'separation-individuation' group is offered to children aged between three and five, in outpatient consultations with a paediatric psychiatrist. It was created following the testimonies of early childhood professionals describing the feeling on the part of parents of being torn from their child, during the first year of school. Open and held on a weekly basis, it is combined with a parents' meeting organised simultaneously. The individualised group tool supports the separation-individuation process when this is particularly painful, for the child and the parents.

Maternal Experience of the Separation-Individuation Process in Infants who Attended or Did Not Attend Daycar

Maternal Experience of the Separation-Individuation Process in Infants who Attended or Did Not Attend Daycar

Intergenerational Similarity of Religiosity Over the Family Life Course.

Research consistently shows that parents influence children's religiosity. However, few studies acknowledge that there is within-group variation in the intergenerational transmission of religiosity. In this article, we examine whether and how congruence in religiosity between generations changes over the family life course and identifies unique parent-child trajectory classes. We used eight waves of data from the Longitudinal Study of Generations, including 1,084 parent-child dyads beginning in 1971 when the children were adolescents and young adults, followed up to 2005. Growth mixture models (GMM) were tested. GMM revealed four temporal patterns: stable similar, child weakens, child strengthens, and child returns. Results showed that children who were married were more likely to be members of the child-returns class than members of the stable-similar class. Results are discussed in terms of the utility of the separation-individuation process and the life-course framework for understanding intergenerational differences and their stability over time.

Interactive Influences of Narcissism and Self-Esteem on Insecure Attachment in Early Adolescence

We hypothesized that in adolescence, maladaptive narcissism interacts with low self-esteem to predict a preoccupied attachment style ( attachment for self-affirmation hypothesis), and with high self-esteem to predict an avoidant attachment style ( attachment for self-enhancement hypothesis). We expected gender differences in narcissistic adolescents’ attachment strategies, with girls more likely to be motivated to self-affirm, and boys more likely to self-enhance. Early adolescents in England ( N = 306, 156 girls, 150 boys, [Formula: see text] age = 13.38 years) responded to self-report measures of narcissism, self-esteem, and attachment styles to mother and a friend. Results supported the attachment for self-enhancement hypothesis only. For adolescent boys (but not girls) with high self-esteem, narcissism was associated with higher avoidant attachment toward the mother and a friend. The results suggest that maladaptive narcissism might derail normative separation-individuation processes in adolescent boys, thus contributing to their adoption of an avoidant attachment style with close relationship partners.

Степен на самота и процес на сепарация-индивидуация при хора с интелектуални затруднения и психични разстройства

Настоящето изследване цели да опише взаимовръзките между процеса на сепарация/индивидуация и степента на преживяването за самота при хора с интелектуални затруднения и хора с психични разстройства над 18 години. Клиничната извадка се състои от 33 души с лека и умерена степен на интелектуално затруднение и 30 души с шизофрения и биполярно афективно разстройство. Те са изследвани със скала за самота на Университета в Калифорния, Лос Анджелос (UCLA Loneliness Scale, Version 3) и Въпросник за сепарация-индивидуация (Separation – Individuation Process Inventory). Резултатите сочат, че стойностите по двете променливи (степен на самота и сепарация-индивидуация) и при двете групи изследвани лица са над средните за нормата. Също така между двете променливи съществува правопропорционална причинно-следствена връзка, т.е. проблемите в процеса на сепарация-индивидуация водят до високи степени на самота.