The absent object

Summary

This paper explores the psychological significance of the absent object, particularly the experience of the infant when the mother or breast is not physically present. O’Shaughnessy draws on Bion’s ideas about the hungry infant and the development of thinking, as well as Melanie Klein’s work on early anxieties and the depressive position.

The paper suggests that absence can create powerful emotional experiences in the infant, including frustration, anxiety, and feelings of loss. The infant gradually needs to develop the capacity to tolerate the absence of the loved object and to maintain an internal representation of it. This process is important for the development of thinking and the ability to cope with separation.

O’Shaughnessy emphasizes that the capacity to tolerate absence is closely connected with psychological development. When the absent object can be represented internally rather than experienced only as a frightening emptiness, the child becomes increasingly capable of thinking about feelings and relationships. The paper therefore links absence, loss, internal objects, anxiety, and the development of thought in early childhood