Couples therapy is greatly enhanced when both the intrapsychic and interpersonal realms can be utilized. Object relations theory allows linkages between the spouses' subjective realities and their relationship in a way that allows the two worlds to be mutually informing. In Repairing Intimacy the theories of the American object relations theorists are applied to couple dynamics. The representational world is used to explain how primitive defense mechanisms and other intrapsychic phenomena contribute to marital conflict. The structure, function, and content of the representational world all...

Couples therapy is greatly enhanced when both the intrapsychic and interpersonal realms can be utilized. Object relations theory allows linkages between the spouses' subjective realities and their relationship in a way that allows the two worlds to be mutually informing. In Repairing Intimacy the theories of the American object relations theorists are applied to couple dynamics. The representational world is used to explain how primitive defense mechanisms and other intrapsychic phenomena contribute to marital conflict. The structure, function, and content of the representational world all...