partner who is confident and emotionally engaging. But what is it that allows
some people to enter relationships easily, whereas for others it is such a
chore? There are, of course, many reasons relationships succeed and fail. Butone approach to studying relationships maintains that understanding adult
romantic behavior begins by looking at very early childhood experiences. The
neo-Freudians who first presented these ideas maintained that how we relateto significant others as adults is a reflection of the relationship we had with
our parents. Recent research finds considerable merit in this notion.
Object Relations Theory and Attachment Theory
Among the many theorists who expanded on Freud ’s personality theory in the
middle part of the 20th century were a group of psychologists who became
known as object relations theorists. Some of the most influential of these psy-
chologists are Melanie Klein, Donald Winnicott, Margaret Mahler, and Heinz
Kohut. Although these theorists often present different interpretations of object
relations theory, some general principles unite most of the viewpoints. First,
like other neo-Freudians, object relations theorists place great emphasis on early
childhood experiences. Instead of focusing on the internal conflicts and drivesthat Freud described, these psychologists are interested in the infant ’sr e l a t i o n -
ship with important people in his or her life. In most cases, this means thechild’s relationship with the parents, most often with the mother. Second, as
the name suggests, object relations theorists postulate that the child develops an
unconscious representation of significant objects in his or her environment. The
According to attachment theory, infants who experience loving, secure relationships
with their parents develop unconscious working models for secure, trusting relationshipsas adults.Attachment Style and Adult Relationships 139