ABSTRACT
When patients enter psychotherapy, it is not uncommon for them to speak in a psychological voice other than their own. They speak with the voice of someone with whom they have identified. This identification can be with someone from the patient’s past or someone from his or her present such as a spouse. The latter identification can be understood via the concept “identification with the aggressor.” McWilliams (1999) writes that “identification with the aggressor” occurs in traumatic situations and operates as a defense against fear and the sense of impotence.
