Which theorist is most closely associated with object relations theory according to the material?

Which theorist is most closely associated with object relations theory according to the material?

• A. Sigmund Freud
• B. Melanie Klein
• C. Carl Jung
• D. B. F. Skinner

Answer: (B)

Object relations theory centers on how early relationships with important others become internal representations that shape later thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Melanie Klein is the figure most closely linked to this approach because she emphasized that infants live in a world of internal objects formed through their earliest interactions with caregivers. She introduced ideas like splitting, projection, and introjection, showing how these early object-relational processes shape personality and relational patterns throughout life. While Freud laid the groundwork for psychoanalysis, his focus was on drives; Jung on archetypes; Skinner on observable behavior. Klein’s work is the clearest link to the object-relations perspective used to understand early relational dynamics.

Object relations theory centers on how early relationships with important others become internal representations that shape later thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Melanie Klein is the figure most closely linked to this approach because she emphasized that infants live in a world of internal objects formed through their earliest interactions with caregivers. She introduced ideas like splitting, projection, and introjection, showing how these early object-relational processes shape personality and relational patterns throughout life. While Freud laid the groundwork for psychoanalysis, his focus was on drives; Jung on archetypes; Skinner on observable behavior. Klein’s work is the clearest link to the object-relations perspective used to understand early relational dynamics.