Am J Psychiatry 1978; 135:653-659
Copyright © 1978 by American Psychiatric Association
Natural history of male psychological health: VI. Correlates of successful marriage and fatherhood
GE Vaillant
The author examines the relationship between quality of object relations
and health on the basis of data from a prospective 35-year follow-up of 95
men selected for health. Judges blind to other data made independent
ratings of physical health at 52, childhood environment, psychopathology,
and maturity of defenses. These ratings were highly correlated with
independent ratings of high school social adjustment, adult friendship
patterns, marital satisfaction, and outcome of children. The author
speculates that the capacity for object relations may be a relatively
stable dimension of adult personality--a continous that stretches from
mature, generative mental health to schizophrenia.
