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Projective Identification and Intersubjectivity

University of Kent

The issue of what might constitute intersubjective relations during infancy and early childhood remains something of a puzzle within and beyond psychology. This paper considers whether the psychoanalytic concept of projective identification might supplement or enrich theoretical efforts in this domain. Following introductory comments on distinctive characteristics of Merleau-Ponty’s commentary on intersubjectivity, attention turns to psychoanalytic assumptions and presuppositions underpinning projective identification. Complementary and contrastive themes are drawn out, specifically those which highlight alternative metaphysical positions taken up within these approaches. Discussion touches on the processes involved in the emergence of projective identification and what implications the concept may have for contemporary theories of intersubjectivity in developmental psychology.

Key Words: Merleau-Ponty’s theory of intersubjectivity • projective identification

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