ABSTRACT
A way may be to accept the feelings within us and use them as gateways to greater understanding. To understand the theory of projective identification, it is necessary to see feelings and emotions as part of the self. The concept of projective identification for social workersleads on to the second importance of the concept, which is to help us understand what, on the surface, will certainly seem to be very complex and mysterious events. If we can contain the feelings, despair, failure, and anger, and gradually, through the mediation of effective counselling and casework, hand them back in a non-punitive but accepting way, then we will be able to help our clients come to some clearer understanding of themselves and their predicaments.
