Clinging, gripping, holding, containment: Reflections on a survival reflex and the development of a capacity to separate

Abstract

This paper attempts to describe how, in the very first months of extra-uterine life, personality structures are formed around notions of personal space, separateness, attachment and individuation. The contribution of a forgotten Hungarian analyst, Imre Hermann, who wrote about the 'clinging reflex', will be explored in relation to the origin of Bowlby's concept of attachment and Rey's theoretical understanding of personal space. Particular attention will be given to transitions, transitional experiences and the development of a sense of internal space. Vignettes from infant observations will be used to illustrate the theoretical frame of reference. Clinical material from the analysis of a child and an adult patient will be provided to postulate how a distorted perception of personal space and separateness in the first few months of life may affect the capacity to attach and to individuate.

Keywords: clinging; first object of relatedness; gripping; individuation and general space; internal space; marsupial space; separateness; transitions.