Ronald Fairbairn

William Ronald Dodds Fairbairn (1889-1964) was a noted Scottish psychoanalyst. He is generally regarded as the father of British object relations theory.

Building upon Freudian notions of the unconscious and the internal representations of external objects, Fairbairn formulated a dynamic model of the intrapsychic relationships that function beneath human awareness. In describing the "endopsychic structure", Fairbairn was able to depict a system of fragmented egos and their corresponding affects. Further elaboration on these internal objects, provided a framework from which analysts could understand normal human development as well as the genesis of psychopathology. Key to Fairbairn's theory was the revision of Freud's concept of the individual as "pleasure-seeking" and replaced by the idea of the infant as "object-seeking." This placed a primacy on the relational element in the building of intrapsychic structure.

Psychoanalysis from an object relations perspective is a process of understanding how and why an analysand's object relations exist in the present and how they affect current interpersonal relationships. The therapeutic benefit of psychoanalysis comes from one's insight into one's unconscious processes, self-defeating patterns of behavior, and internal dialogs with the self. Because the endopsychic structure is thought to form very early in life and in response to experiences (both gratifying and frustrating) with our primary caregivers, particular emphasis is placed upon a patient's early childhood history. It is only after a careful analysis of one's history, that the endopsychic structure becomes clear to the analyst. From there, the task of "working through" one's issues (ie. coming to understand what has been unconscious) is guided by the analyst's techniques of free association, dream interpretation, and the interpretation of present behavior and affects. Because, the endopsychic structure is thought to function as a basic template for human interaction, the analyst (or psychodynamic therapist) experiences the patient's "transference" or patterned behaviors forged so many years prior. Transference phenomena when correctly observed can be a vital clue into a patient's psychological functioning because it demonstrates the dynamics of the endopsychic structure in session.

Although, Fairbairn's initial papers describing object relations appeared in the 1940's, his influence continues to be felt within the field of mental health by all practitioners whether they are classically trained psychoanalysts or generic counselors.

Father of the British politician Nicholas Fairbairn.