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This paper is a study of Mahler's developmental theory of “symbiosis and individuation” (1968; Mahler, Pine, and Bergman, 1975). The significance of this theory rests on: (1) its method of direct observation; (2) its identification of phases and subphases crucial for understanding the ontogenetic development of selfhood; (3) its study of object relations between the child and the mother; (4) its theoretical implications for psychoanalytic theory; and (5) its demonstrated heuristic value.
According to Galenson (1979), in relation to Freud, Mahler's developmental framework can be considered the “second major theory” in developmental psychoanalysis (p. 153). While it has received strikingly rapid acceptance into the mainstream of psychoanalytic thinking, “the task of coordinating and