Psychoanalysis.  2021 Jan;32(1):1-10. 10.18529/psychoanal.2021.32.1.1.

Margaret Mahler and the Modern Implication of Separation-Individuation Theory

• Bahn GH

• KMID: 2511655
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.18529/psychoanal.2021.32.1.1

Abstract

The separation-individuation theory of Margaret S. Mahler and her colleagues is a creative approach to understanding the emotional development of a baby. Recent neurobiological studies and infant research have necessitated modification of some of Mahler’s work, but it still forms the basis for understanding the emotional development of infants. Conflicts can arise between the baby’s natural temperament and the mother’s parenting, which are later internalized into the child’s intrapsychic conflicts. Through the child’s interaction with the environment, these conflicts help form his or her individual personality and psychopathology. By re-viewing Mahler’s own childhood and family history, people can understand the origin of her important theory as well as “the psychological birth of human infants.”

Keyword

Margaret Mahler; Separation; Individuation; Emotional development; Mentalization