Which phase occurs at 5–9 months and is marked by using the mother as a point of orientation in object relations theory?

• A. Normal Symbiotic Phase
• B. Separation/Individuation Phase
• C. Practicing Stage
• D. Rapprochement Stage

Answer: (B)

In this period, the infant starts to see the mother as a separate person rather than an extension of self. That shift marks the Separation/Individuation phase. The child uses the mother as a base or anchor for exploring the world—checking in, orienting actions around her, and gradually showing differentiation between self and other. This is the time when the sense of “myself versus mom” begins to form, even as the mother remains a secure base the child relies on for reassurance and safety.

Previously, during the Normal Symbiotic phase (birth to about five months), the child and mother are experienced as a single unit. After this phase, the separation/individuation process unfolds, with later subparts like practicing (when mobility increases) and rapprochement (reasserting closeness with increasing autonomy). So the phase described by using the mother as an orientation point at five to nine months is Separation/Individuation.