Projective Identification - Outline

Outline

A concept increasingly referred to in psychodynamic work, projective identification occurs in circumstances where A experiences feelings that belong to B but that B is unable to access; and instead "projects" them into (not just onto) A.

Projective identification thus designates a psychological process in which a person engages in the ego defense mechanism of projection in such a way that their behavior towards the object of projection invokes in that person precisely the thoughts, feelings or behaviors projected.

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