Citation

Doctor R. Int. J. Forensic Psychother. 2022; 4(2): 176-183.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, International Association for Forensic Psychotherapy, Publisher Phoenix Publishing House)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article examines a family therapy case involving a woman who was violent to her children and partner where conscious and unconscious paranoid beliefs were manifested in projective identification and sadomasochistic liaisons between the children and/or partner. I will illustrate how apparent social appropriateness covered up an extremely disturbed personal relationship. I will explore how this paranoid and perverse relationship arises from the use of a particular type of defensive organisation. This is characterised by a mostly narcissistic and unyielding defence, namely projective identification, which functions to help the patient avoid knowing about her aggression and anxiety by avoiding connection with other people and with reality.

Language: en

Keywords

FEMALE AGGRESSION; FORENSIC PSYCHOTHERAPY; NARCISSISM; PARANOIA; PROJECTIVE IDENTIFICATION