ABSTRACT
The concept of projective identification has undergone continuous development since it was first proposed by Melanie Klein in 1946. Every analyst who applies it emphasizes certain characteristics which seem to him particularly useful in his clinical work and which bear the stamp of the theories he espouses. In projective identification, the patient unconsciously projects into the object not only the drives, which are identifiable through representations and feelings, but also the part of himself that experiences the feeling. Empathy is a benevolent form of projective identification, which can be included within normal projective identification and is a normal component of our day-to-day relations with others. The unconscious aim is no longer only communication, as in the case of empathic projective identification, but evacuation, often with the corollary of controlling the object or intimidating it. If the interpretation is consistent with the unconscious fantasy, the patient will be able to seize it on the wing.
