containment
n. in object relations theory, the notion that either the mother or the analyst aids growth and alleviates anxieties by acting as a “container,” or “holding environment,” for projected aspects of the child’s or patient’s psyche (see projection). For instance, the infant, overwhelmed by distress and having no context to understand the experience, is held and soothed by the parent, who thus creates a safe context for the child and endows the experience with meaning. The psychoanalyst does this metaphorically by helping the patient reduce the anxiety to tolerable levels.