Projective Identification Edited by The Fate of a Concept

Summary

This book examines the development and changing meaning of projective identification, a concept originally introduced by Melanie Klein. The editors trace how Klein developed the idea and how later psychoanalysts, particularly Bion and British Kleinian analysts, expanded and modified it.

The book shows that projective identification has been understood in different ways across psychoanalytic traditions and countries. It explores its relationship with projection, identification, transference, countertransference, and interpersonal communication. A major theme is the idea that projective identification is not only a defensive process but can also be understood as a fundamental form of emotional communication between people.

The authors also examine how the concept has been interpreted in Britain, Europe, North America, and Latin America. Overall, the book demonstrates how projective identification has evolved from a specifically Kleinian concept into a broader psychoanalytic framework for understanding unconscious communication, relationships, and the emotional interaction between therapist and patient.