projective identification

Abby and Patrick welcome novelist and literary critic Christine Smallwood, author of The Life of the Mind. They discuss the novel’s protagonist Dorothy (who hires a second therapist to talk about her relationship with her first therapist) and Christine’s approach to psychoanalysis as a framework for thinking about everyday life. Then they turn to Wilfred Bion’s landmark 1961 book Experiences in Groups. They discuss the ways that group life and group experiences are frustrating and emotionally intense, from group chats to reading groups to classrooms to parties to military maneuvers; Bion’s notion of the various “basic assumptions” that underlie every group; projection versus projective identification; and counter-transference as a source of genuine insight. Plus, Dan explains how Bion helped him life-hack (and exit) corporate America!

You can find The Life of the Mind here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-life-of-the-mind-christine-smallwood/14793178
 
Links to some of Christine’s recent writing mentioned in the episode are here:
https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/04/06/the-exorcist-the-shards-bret-easton-ellis/
https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/04/06/poor-torvey-a-dolls-house/

And here is a recent NYRB interview with her:
https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/04/22/infiltrating-literature-christine-smallwood/

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The magic of psychotherapy is that it brings forth transference— the patient’s most important and formative relationships, typically with early caregivers, are unconsciously re-enacted in the therapy room. And this transference necessarily creates countertransference, the therapist’s unconscious reactions to the transference. 

Alexandria came to Dr. H originally due to her severe harm OCD. But over time, it became clear to him, and eventually to her, that she was increasingly, and unconsciously, trying to put him in the role of the abandoner, the critic, the emotional abuser. This process is called projective identification, and as you will hear, it played out very dramatically between them, and was a major factor in her plans to die.

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BFTA/ Dr. H
https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

Projections are all about placing your unwanted feelings, thoughts and urges onto someone else.

While, transference is all about re-directing your feelings or desires for another onto an entirely different person.

Spiritual transference is about re-directing one’s uncomfortable feelings, anger, frustrations or insecurities onto another and trading their disposition for oneself, as the other party is left processing the transferred feelings.

Let talk about it on today’s episode.

Dr. Chiaku Hanson
IG: @drchihanson
Website: www.drpsychologyhealing.com
Email: chatwithdoctoralchi@gmail.com

Who the hell is…? brings you our new Biography Bites – compact biographies of the world’s greatest thinkers.

This episode tells the life story of Melanie Klein, one of the most controversial, powerful and influential figures within the heart of psychoanalysis.  A woman, divorcee, single mother and Hungarian-Polish Jew who lived through two World Wars, Klein's life was as dramatic and contentious as her work.

We hope you enjoy this episode and don't forget to look out for our other biography bites on the world's greatest thinkers!

Last time we discussed defenses we all employ to deal with unwanted feelings and parts of ourselves - like projection. This time we go further into the psyche and talk about projective identification - i.e. we project out those unwanted parts into others and how they handle it builds our sense of ourselves and of them. This happens in our closest relationships - mother/infant and intimate partners. Eric and Ashley use pieces of their relationship to explain the concept and to discuss how this process has helped them both grow as a couple and individually. Also discussed are ways in which this can go poorly in our earliest relationships and then set us up for problems down the road in our intimate relationships. This should highlight for everyone why it's so important to think deeply about the choice to have children and what you will bring into that relationship with your child. If you can start to understand this process, you can begin to more deeply understand the places you feel stuck in your life.