Developmental Considerations of Ambivalence—Part 2 of an Exploration of the Relations of Instinctual Drives and the Symbiosis-Separation-Individuation Process

This study of the development of ambivalence is an outgrowth of an effort to examine the interrelations of the symbiosis—separation-individuation process and instinctual drives. Ambivalence is evident during the rapprochement subphase of separation-individuation, when the child gives evidence of experiencing coexisting feelings of object love and hate toward the sufficiently structured libidinal object. However, longitudinal observation of children from birth reveals evidence suggestive of early intrapsychic conflict arising out of coexisting positively and negatively valenced feelings toward the libidinal object, feelings which already play a significant part in the child's psychic life from the end of the first year of life. This is readily observable in healthy children in reaction to limit-setting during the practicing subphase. Strong negatively valenced feelings often encountered during practicing essentially result from frustration of strivings for autonomy (individuation) by the libidinal object who is also the symbiotic partner. Although we cannot speak with certainty, during this period the positively and negatively valenced feelings experienced toward the libidinal object are impressive precursors of love and hate and create at least a significant, perhaps precursor, form of ambivalence.

Viewed developmentally, ambivalence seems to evolve ontogenetically through two basic conflicts: the first conflict of ambivalence has its beginnings during the first part of the separation-individuation phase, especially during the practicing subphase, and consolidates during the rapprochement subphase, especially in the arena of rapprochement crises. This first conflict occurs in the