merged in self-containment with the mother environment
1. Does "rather than merged in self-containment with the mother environment" mean "rather than in terms of a subject merged with the mother environment"?

2. Does "though enriched by feeling" refer to "something of the subject that is found in the object"?

Text:
He states that ‘[o]bject-relating is an experience of the subject that can be described in terms of the subject as an isolate’ rather than merged in self-containment with the mother environment. In this intersubjective relation, which is characterised by projection and introjection, ‘the subject is depleted to the extent that something of the subject is found in the object, though enriched by feeling’.

Question

merged in self-containment with the mother environment
1. Does "rather than merged in self-containment with the mother environment" mean "rather than in terms of a subject merged with the mother environment"?

2. Does "though enriched by feeling" refer to "something of the subject that is found in the object"?

Text:
He states that ‘[o]bject-relating is an experience of the subject that can be described in terms of the subject as an isolate’ rather than merged in self-containment with the mother environment. In this intersubjective relation, which is characterised by projection and introjection, ‘the subject is depleted to the extent that something of the subject is found in the object, though enriched by feeling’.

Answer

First, this is a pretty complicated paragraph, even for a native speaker, and requires a familiarity with the specialized vocabulary of ontology, metaphysics, and/or epistemology. The author would be the most reliable person to answer. In my opinion, however:
1. The sentence is closer in meaning to "rather than the subject being merged in self-containment with the mother environment."
2. In my opinion the phrase "though enriched by feeling" is ambiguous, not very well-written, and the meaning is not clear. It could refer either to "the object (enriched by feeling)," "something of the subject (enriched by feeling)," or "the subject (depleted though enriched by feeling)." It has the flavor of a circular argument, or of sophistry.

Answers · 2

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