"Playing" with the couple's projective identifications: paradigmatic psychotherapy with couples.

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to (1) expand the concept of the defense of projective identification to include everyday interactions between intimates who are not necessarily deeply disturbed, (2) show the importance of understanding projective identification inductions in couples therapy, (3) introduce a new way of working with normal/neurotic couples where there is at least some evidence of projective identification in their communication, and (4) describe the similarity of my approach with less disturbed couples to the technical modification of paradigmatic psychotherapy as employed by Modern Psychoanalysis in their work with more disturbed individual patients.