‘Projective transidentification’: An extension of the concept of projective identification

Abstract

Questions about the concept of projective identification still persist. The author presents the following hypotheses: Klein's traditional view and Bion's extension and revision of it can be thought of as occupying a continuum in reverse. He postulates that Bion's concept of communicative intersubjective projective identification (which the author renames 'projective transidentification') is primary and inclusive of Klein's earlier unconscious, omnipotent, intrapsychic mode but includes Bion's 'realistic' communicative mode as well. The author hypothesizes, consequently, that intersubjective projective identification constitutes both the operation of an unconscious phantasy of omnipotent intrapsychic projective identification solely within the internal world of the projecting subject--in addition to two other processes: conscious and/or preconscious modes of sensorimotor induction, which would include signaling and/or evocation or prompting gestures or techniques (mental, physical, verbal, posturing or priming) on the part of the projecting subject; followed by spontaneous empathic simulation in the receptive object of the subject's experience in which the receptive object is already inherently 'hard-wired' to be empathic with the prompting subject.

The Tango of Loving Hate: Couple Dynamics in High-Conflict Divorce

“…Klein refers to the mechanism of projection as a way to externalize internal conflict. The external object then becomes identified with the projected attributes (Grotstein 2000(Grotstein , 2005Hinshelwood 1991;Klein 1940). In couple dynamics, however, the other is not just a container but an active participant who simultaneously projects.…”

Psychosomatic breast and alexithymic breast: A Bionian psychosomatic perspective

“…Grotstein (, ) accounts for an innate alpha‐function on the basis of his personal clinical practice without referring to the notion of psychosomatic alimentary canal. This author describes a baby endowed with a basic innate alpha‐function which helps him tolerate frustration, by yielding the capacity to generate preverbal communications and be the recipient of prosodic verbal communications coming from his mother.…”

„Musikalisches Zuhören“

“…Dabei antizipiert der Analytiker die "Körpersprache" des Analysanden, die sich auf subtile Weise in Gestik und Stimmlage äußert. Es entsteht eine sensomotorische Induktion (Grotstein 2005), wodurch eine Partizipation am Erleben des Analysanden erfolgt. Induziert werden die vom Analysanden subjektiv erlebten inneren affektiven Zustände und deren Veränderungen.…”

“…Ich wähle aber bewusst dieses für mich einmalige Beispiel aus, weil hier explizit wird, wie eng das körperlich-seelische Erleben von Patient und Analytiker miteinander verwoben ist und welch wechselseitige Wirkungen bei beiden Beteiligten stattfinden. Dieser Vorgang lässt sich vielleicht mit dem Begriff der "projektiven Transidentifizierung" (Grotstein 2005) Nun spüre ich, wie sich die Intensität meiner Affekte steigert; meine Gefühle werden immer dissonanter. Die dissonanten Spannungen bekommen eine explosive Qualität.…”