Masochism and the Emergent Ego

Esther Menaker sees the ego as an evolutionary achievement emerging from the relational matrix of mother and child and the product of numerous psychosocial forces. She places particular emphasis on the individuals self-esteem as reflected in both the developing ego-ideal and the sense of identity. The full depth and originality of her thought is clearly illustrated in these papers, which center on three vital issues: masochism, identification and the social process, and creativity. For example, in a unique contribution, she shows how masochism, which she sees as stemming from the childs original dependence on its mother, is a major modality of character formation that precipitates the childs fear of separation and his struggle for individuation. Dr. Menaker delineates a holistic and developmental conception of personality that stresses the individuals integrative capacities to bring forth a new synthesis of the self.