Premium
PROJECTIVE IDENTIFICATION IN COMMON COUPLE DANCES
Author(s) -
Middelberg Carol V.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-0606.2001.tb00329.x
Subject(s) - projective identification , identification (biology) , projective test , psychology , interpersonal communication , social psychology , dance , object relations theory , object (grammar) , interpersonal relationship , cognitive psychology , computer science , psychotherapist , psychoanalysis , artificial intelligence , psychoanalytic theory , visual arts , art , botany , biology
This paper integrates the object relations concept of projective identification and the systemic concept of marital dances to develop a more powerful model for working with more difficult and distressed couples. This integrated model explains how some couples use the defenses of splitting and projective identification to externalize and transpose internal conflicts into interpersonal conflicts in five common marital dances. The author suggests how object relations techniques can be used to interrupt the projective identifications, help client to reown their disowned and projected affects and resolve the conflict on the intrapsychic level so that the marital dance is no longer necessary to resolve the intrapsychic issues.