You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
Dissociative aspects of the personality are key components of both relational and object relations psychoanalytic theory. This paper proposes that one aspect of object relations theory, Fairbairn’s internal saboteur, can greatly aid our relational psychoanalytic theory and clinical work. The concept of the internal saboteur can help our understanding of self-defeating behavior and resistance to attachment in our patients. Examples are presented in which the internal saboteur attacks what Fairbairn would term the libidinal ego and object and the central ego. The internal saboteur attacks these egos and object because of a threat to its power and so it can maintain its attachment to the rejecting object. All of theses’ internal dynamics can be played out in our patients pushing away attachment and positive emotions such as success. The internal saboteur can also be an aid in conceptualizing why it is so difficult to bridge the gap between polarized groups in our society. The internal saboteur can act to block thoughts or actions that could lead to greater attachment to “others” in the society. In both individual and societal cases the internal saboteur can be a component in why positive attachment, feelings, and collaborative interactions are often resisted and defeated.