“Introjection is both a defence and a normal developmental process; a defence because it diminishes separation anxiety, a developmental process because it renders the subject increasingly autonomous.” Rycroft (1977).
Introjection as a defence.
The Child feels its needs are not met by mother and as a result experiences anxiety. To reduce this anxiety it introjects mother into its own Parent ego state.
The painful feelings of loss in the child are reduced as the child creates an image of the lost object in self.
The conflict created by the unmet needs is solved by introjecting mother which allows the child deny its own needs and thereby maintain a sense of being attached and bonded to mother.
Introjection as a normal developmental process
Introjection occurs as a normal part of child psychological development. One way humans develop their personality is to copy others around them and then internalise that into their own personality. This is how the Parent ego state part of the personality comes into being. This differs from the Child ego state which is a repository of the early decisions not the early imitations. The Child ego state develops through early decisions and the Parent ego state develops through introjections.