Primary object relations in the context of basic failure

Abstract

This article aims to investigate the problem of primary object relations appealing to some of the concepts formulated by Michael Balint. In this sense, it starts with the discussion of two positions or modes of precocious investment, which are then situated in the context of the basic fault, understood as a primitive mechanism in subjectivity's constitution and as one of the main areas of the psychic apparatus. In this way, it intends to offer a sketch of Balint's theory about the origins of subjectivity, articulated with the so-called clinic of difficult patients. Keywords: Psychoanalysis, Balint, Object relations, Basic fault, Subjectivity.