From 'Bad Objects' to 'Good Objects': An Object Relations Analysis on Maternal Abuse and Trauma Recovery in Pelzer’s A Child Called “It”

Child abuse, especially from the mother, has the capacity to create severe consequences in the lives of children. It impacts their psychological development, hindering their emotional stability, negatively impacting on their self-perception and also affecting the children’s ability to form later relationships in their lives. Dave Pelzer’s memoir, A Child Called “It” explore such traumatic experience Pelzer confronted during his childhood from his mother, which developed insecurity and self- rejection in him. This paper aims to analyse the maternal trauma endured by Pelzer through the lens of Object Relations Theory, specifically through the concepts of the “bad object”, “splitting” and “internalized trauma” as theorized by Melanie Klein. Pelzer’s mother exhibits herself as a “bad object”, a figure who not only rejects and isolates her child, but also physically and emotionally abuse him making Pelzer internalize a distorted image of himself. As his father remains as a passive figure, not interfering into the abuse he encounters, he feels a sense of splitting, that is, even while understanding his mother as cruel, he still craved for her approval. This inability of him to completely reject her even while he wanted to get rid of the abuse has resulted in his emotional fragmentation and trust issues while facing the external world. Even though the psychological damage drowns Pelzer, as he eventually encounters the “good objects” in the form of teachers and social workers, he slowly heals and embraces his life. These figures play a critical role in his life providing him validation and encouragement in reconstructing his identity and making him detach from the negative perception of him which is instilled in him by his mother. By applying Object Relations Theory to A Child Called “It”, the study highlights the long-term impact of maternal abuse in children and the importance of reparative relationships in recovering from traumatic experiences.