Am J Psychiatry 1991; 148:153-161
Copyright © 1991 by American Psychiatric Association
Clarification of projective identification
WN Goldstein
Baltimore-Washington Institute for Psychoanalysis, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C.
This paper clarifies the various current usages of the term "projective
identification." The author presents a broad reference model of projective
identification based on the work of Ogden. This model divides projective
identification into three steps. Step 1 is the projection of a part of
oneself onto an external object. Step 1a is the blurring of self and object
representations. Step 2 is an interpersonal interaction in which the
projector actively pressures the recipient to think, feel, and act in
accordance with the projection. Step 3 is the reinternalization of the
projection after it has been psychologically processed by the recipient.
The different definitions of projective identification are shown to relate
to exactly how the term "projection" is conceptualized (in step 1), to
whether step 1a is deemed necessary, and to how many of the three steps are
required for the definition of projective identification. The author
reviews the work of Ogden, Kernberg, Meissner, Sandler, Malin and
Grotstein, Porder, and Zinner et al. Six detailed case examples are
provided from within and outside psychotherapy to illustrate all three
steps of projective identification.
