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The unfolding and working through of selfobject transferences in our work with adults is familiar. What I will demonstrate in this chapter is that, despite the fact that a child's self experience is in the process of developing, many of the technical and theoretical aspects of self psychology and intersubjectivity are equally helpful in work with children. Transference and countertransference issues play a central role in therapy. The evidence for this appears, not merely in the content of the play, but in the process and interactions between child and therapist. To illustrate my contention, I present the case of Jacquie.
Jacquie was referred when she was eight years old. Reasons for referral included a nervous blink and, according to her mother, a very poor self-image. She was unable to get along with people at home or at school. If she did not understand or could not do something right away, she panicked and felt that she could not do it at all. She was described as being very sensitive, emotional, and perpetually convinced that she was being unfairly treated. In response to the anger of others, she would become self-denigrating, call herself a stupid, rotten person, and threaten suicide. She could not bear to be teased. Jacquie was in conflict with her sisters, who were close to each other. Jacquie and her mother often entered into power struggles in which both became irrational and could not stop harping at one another.
Jacquie was a beautiful, tall, slim girl with medium blond hair, blue eyes, and a lovely but rare smile. She dressed stylishly, did well in