A Phenomenological Investigation into the Psychotherapist’s Experience of Processing Projective Identifications

Abstract

Projective identification is arguably one of the most important, complex and difficult to understand psychoanalytic concepts. This paper discusses research which aims to develop a phenomenological description of the psychotherapist’s experience of identifying, containing and processing the client’s projective identifications. The researcher interviewed eight psychoanalytic psychotherapists in depth. The empirical phenomenological method was then used to explicate the transcribed interviews. The results are dialogued with clinical illustrations and the literature on projective identification.

Waitara

Tērā pea kō te whakapūreo tuakiri tētahi o ngā ariā tātarihanga hinengaro whakahirahira, matatini ki te whakamātau. Ko tā tēnei tuhinga, he matapaki i ngā rangahau e whai ana ki te whanake i tētahi whakaahua whakaataata wheako kaitātari hinengaro tohu, pupuri, taki pūreo tuakiri kiritaki. Tokowaru ngā kaitātari whakaora hinengaro i whakamātautau hōhonuhia e te kairangahau, ka whakamahia te huarahi whakamātau whakahirahira ki ngā tuhinga whakamātautau. Ko ngā hua i matapakihia ki te taha o ngā whakaahua haumanu me ngā tuhinga hāngai ki te whakapūreo tuakiri.