We’re Living in a Society: Ideology and the Social Object

This paper considers the developmental implications of being subjected to macro social, cultural, political, and economic systems. Drawing from social and critical theory, the author proposes an object tie to the broader social dimension. When this tie is threatened by harsh social realities, there is an attempt to protect it through the activation of internalized ideological schema. Clinical examples are provided to demonstrate how patients and therapists bring ideology into the treatment room, and how the application of an “ideological lens” may move beyond interpersonal transference dynamics to facilitate the reorganization of “social object” relationships.