ABSTRACT
This chapter explores two central themes: the complex relationship between the given body and our identity and the particular use made of the body, namely the projection into the body of the object, the use of their body by proxy, to manage traumatic events that cannot be represented in the mind. The skin, that 'scrim' on which we project our fantasies and fears, is used here to good effect to examine deeply psychoanalytic themes that are very relevant to our understanding of the body. A major trauma impacts on the person's internal and external relationships. Klein viewed the infant's experience of love, loving and being loved, by both the internal and external good object, as a critical determinant for psychic integration. There is something poignant in the belief that enough trips to the cosmetic surgeon can prevent the ruin of the body, or that looking young ensures us to other physical and psychic catastrophes.
