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The object-oriented question is a technical device favored in the treatment of the preoedipal patient (Spotnitz, 1969, 1976). It is, to all appearances, relatively uncomplicated, and seems to play a largely protective role in safeguarding the patient's fragile ego from experiencing more tension than it can tolerate. If, in the process, it helps resolve resistance and fosters the development of the narcissistic transference, these appear at first glance to be serendipitous spinoffs of the analyst's ego-sheltering approach. It is the purpose of this paper, however, to demonstrate the contrary, namely, that the object-oriented question occupies a central position and exerts an influence disproportionate to its apparent simplicity on every aspect of the treatment process.
What is an object-oriented question? It is a question calculated to direct the patient's attention away from his own ego and toward objects or events external to himself. What is the man's name? What was the movie about? Would I behave like that? The analyst asks this type of question because of the emotional state of the narcissistic patient. The latter is fixated in the narcissistic phase of development where self and object are not as yet completely separated and the one is often confused with the other. The ego of such a person is unstable, shifting in outline, unsure of its functions, and insecure in relation to the external world. Consequently,