A RE-FORMULATION OF THE CONCEPT OF PROJECTIVE IDENTIFICATION (ENVY, COUNTERTRANSFERENCE).
Item
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Title
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A RE-FORMULATION OF THE CONCEPT OF PROJECTIVE IDENTIFICATION (ENVY, COUNTERTRANSFERENCE).
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Identifier
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AAI8601682
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identifier
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8601682
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Creator
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NUTKEVITCH, ABRAHAM.
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Contributor
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Laurence J. Gould/Larry Gould
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Date
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1985
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical
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Abstract
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In 1946 Melanie Klein introduced the concept of projective identification. Despite the fact that the concept has been used extensively by psychoanalysts, it has remained one of the most elusive and confusing concepts in the psychoanalytic literature. The present work offers a re-formulation of the concept of projective identification.;It is suggested here that projective identification is a mechanism defending against envy. Consequently, a portion of this paper deals with the concept of envy, and especially with the pain and aggression inherent in it.;Unlike other known defenses, which operate intrapsychically, projective identification is an interpersonal process in which a person expels parts of the self "into" an object with the aim of actually affecting a transformation in the recipient's experience. Insofar as such a transformation is achieved envy is diminished or eliminated. Projective identification appears in two complementary forms: projective identification of bad parts which spoil the envied object, or projective identification of good (or idealized) parts which affect a controlling idealization. It is claimed that both forms of projective identification aim at protecting parts of the self or the self as a whole from self directed aggression which is hypothesized here to accompany experience of envy. Projective identification of good parts and of bad parts are two different routes to achieve the same result--the reduction or elimination of envy.;Although projective identification is associated more with severe psychopathology, it is not a primitive mechanism employed by the "sick," but rather it is employed by all in everyday life. The principal pre-requisite for projective identification to take place is permeability of boundaries between two or more persons. Such permeability of boundaries exists in any group situation or in any dyadic relationship where some degree of intimacy has developed.;The above formulation of projective identification serve as a basis for a series of related discussions. Therefore, discussions such as the difference between projection and projective identification, the relation between projective identification and countertransference, and the process of "detoxifying" mental contents are presented.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
