The Relevance of Mahler's Observational Studies to the Theory and Technique of Psychoanalysis

Mahler's work is part of the totality of classical psychoanalytic theory as expanded by the contributions of the ego psychologists. This continuous line of theory construction begins with Freud's (1923) landmark introduction of the structural theory, which led many theorists to examine the functions of the ego. Anna Freud (1936) developed thought about the defensive function. Hartmann (1939), known as the “father” of ego psychology, examined the adaptive function and expanded his thoughts in collaboration with Kris and Lowenstein (1949, 1962). This was followed by the work of Kris (1956a, b, c), who might be thought of as the theorist of ego psychological technique, and of Jacobson (1964), Spitz (1957, 1965), and Mahler (1968, 1971). All of these theorists fit their work into the context of the larger theory, which has become a school of thought. Some of the contributions within this school are overlapping; all are complementary.