Attachment and separateness. A theoretical context for the integration of object relations theory with self psychology.

The aims of attachment and of separateness, and their experiential counterparts within the overall sense of self identity, guide the individual throughout the life cycle. Multiple forms of relatedness, based on varying degrees of self-object differentiation and instinctual drive involvement, enable the individual to establish and consolidate a sense of self both as a cohesive and autonomous entity and as inherently attached to others through loving relationships. This theoretical orientation provides a context for integrating Kohut's major conceptual contribution with classical object relations theory. The essence of this integration requires resolution of the challenges that Kohut's concept of "self-object" poses to conventional understanding of the relationship between relatedness and self development.