depressive position
Pronunciation: dih-PRES-iv puh-ZISH-un
Also written as: D
Klein's developmental achievement where the infant integrates good and bad aspects of objects and experiences concern and guilt.
Full Definition
The depressive position represents a crucial developmental milestone, typically emerging around four to six months, where the infant begins to perceive the mother as a whole object with both good and bad qualities. This integration leads to depressive anxiety—concern about having damaged the loved object through aggressive impulses, and guilt about these attacks. The infant develops reparative wishes to restore the damaged object. Unlike the paranoid-schizoid position's splitting defenses, the depressive position involves more mature defenses and the capacity for ambivalence, empathy, and genuine concern for others.
Usage
Usage note: Not to be confused with clinical depression; position is not capitalized unless beginning sentence.
In Context
- "Achieving the depressive position allowed the patient to feel genuine remorse for his destructive behavior." — case formulation
- "The depressive position's emergence was marked by increased capacity for concern about the analyst's welfare." — process notes