Barriers to intimacy - An object relations perspective

Intimacy has rarely been discussed in the psychoanalytic literature, although clinicians recognize that problems with intimacy are universal. In this article, intimacy is defined, and the sociocultural factors that serve as obstacles to intimate relatedness are discussed. Closely examined are the intrapsychic conflicts that inhibit the development of intimacy, such as a fear of fusion, a fear of object loss, paranoid-schizoid anxieties, and sexual anxieties. Because analysts help to create an environment where problems of intimacy can best be studied, understood, and treated, implications for psychoanalytic treatment are discussed. A clinical example from the author's psychoanalytic practice is offered to illustrate some of the concepts discussed.