Psychoanalytic Inquiry. X, 1990.: Some Notes on Object Relations, “Classical” Theory, and the Problem of Instincts (Drives). Arnold H. Modell. Pp. 182-196.

Modell points out that although all object relations theorists do not reject Freud's instinct theory, they all challenge it in one way or another. As a possible solution, he proposes taking a new look at the concept of instinct. Modell feels that without these challenges Freud's drive theory has been rendered obsolete by recent discoveries in ethology and evolutionary biology. He then traces for us some of the more significant contributors to these fields—Lorenz, Hinde, Mayr, Bateson—and shows how their work complements the psychoanalytic theories of Fairbairn and Bowlby. Next he traces the development of Freud's concepts of instinct and object, pointing out that although his concept of object changed over time, Freud never took this into account to alter his concept of instinct. Viewing attachment behavior and sexuality as separate functional systems, Modell proposes that object relations theory account for the interrelationship between the two. He gives some examples of how common clinical conditions (e.g., homosexuality) may be viewed differently, given this change in theory. Concepts such as the psychoanalytic setting, defense, resistance, and transference are discussed, contrasting the object relations view with the classical view.