Identification with the Aggressor explained

Identification with the Aggressor (German: Identifizierung mit dem Angreifer)^[1] is one of the forms of identification conceptualized by psychoanalysis. Specifically, it is a defence mechanism that designates the assumption of the role of the aggressor and his functional attributes or the imitation of his aggressive and behavioral mode, when a psychological trauma poses the hopeless dilemma of being a victim or an abuser.^[2] This theoretical construct is also defined as a process of coping with mental distress^[3] or as a particular case of zero-sum game.^[4]

History

The concept was first introduced by Sándor Ferenczi in his clinical diary in June 1932^[5] and then developed in his paper "The Passions of Adults and their Influence on the Development of the Character and the Sexuality of the Child" (German: Die Leidenschaften der Erwachsenen und deren Einfluß auf Charakter und Sexualentwicklung des Kindes)^[6] for the 12th International Psycho-Analytic Congress in Wiesbaden, Germany, in September 1932.^{[7] [8]}

He further elaborated this work until he published it in 1949 in The International Journal of Psychoanalysis with the new title "Confusion of the Tongues Between the Adults and the Child—(The Language of Tenderness and of Passion)".^[9] In 1936, Anna Freud took up and developed the concept in her book The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence (German: Das Ich und die Abwehrmechanismen).^[10]

Further research

The experiment conducted in 1963 by Elliot Aronson and J. Merrill Carlsmith on the forbidden toy seems to endorse such a hypothesis and therefore this type of dynamic: one attributes oneself a mutilation of one's own desire in order to perceive oneself as autarkic, independent and not submissive.^[11]

See also

• Masters of suspicion
• Self-deception
• Self-sabotage
• Stockholm syndrome
• Repetition compulsion

In art

• Fight Club
• Heauton Timorumenos (Terence)
• Heautontimoroumenos (Charles Baudelaire)
• H. R. Giger
  • Alien (franchise)
• "Mr. Self Destruct" (Nine Inch Nails)

Further reading

• Frankel . Jay . Exploring Ferenczi's Concept of Identification with the Aggressor: Its Role in Trauma, Everyday Life, and the Therapeutic Relationship . Psychoanalytic Dialogues . 2002 . 12 . 1 . 101–139 . 10.1080/10481881209348657 . 144951828.
• Howell . Elizabeth F. . Ferenczi's concept of identification with the aggressor: understanding dissociative structure with interacting victim and abuser self-states . . March 2014 . 74 . 1 . 48–59 . 24603172 . 10.1057/ajp.2013.40 . 5576292.
• Lahav . Yael . Ginzburg . Karni . Talmon . Anat . Spiegel . David . David Spiegel . Reenacting Past Abuse – Identification with the Aggressor and Sexual Revictimization . . July–September 2019 . 20 . 4 . 378–391 . 30734655 . 10.1080/15299732.2019.1572046 . 73435528.
• Lahav . Yael . Talmon . Anat . Ginzburg . Karni . Knowing the abuser inside and out: The development and psychometric evaluation of the Identification with the Aggressor Scale . . August 27, 2019 . 36 . 19–20 . 9725–9748 . 31455143 . 10.1177/0886260519872306 . 201656101.
• Lahav . Yael . Allende . Santiago . Talmon . Anat . Spiegel . David . Identification with the Aggressor and Inward and Outward Aggression in Abuse Survivors . Journal of Interpersonal Violence . July 13, 2020 . 37 . 5–6 . 2705–2728 . 32659159 . 10.1177/0886260520938516 . 220521706.

Notes and References

1. Book: Jean . Laplanche . Jean-Bertrand . Pontalis . Jean Laplanche . Jean-Bertrand Pontalis . Identification with the Aggressor . https://books.google.com/books?id=RptYDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Identification+with+the+Aggressor+%3D+D.:+Identifizierung+mit+dem+Angreifer%22%22Anna+Freud%20(1936)%22+Ferenczi&pg=PT383 . The Language of Psychoanalysis . . . 2018 . 1973 . 978-0-429-92124-7.
2. Book: Prior, Stephen . Object Relations in Severe Trauma. Psychotherapy of the Sexually Abused Child . 2004 . 1996 . . . 978-0-765-70018-6 . 64. First edition.
3. Book: Figley . Charles R. . Charles Figley . Kiser . Laurel J. . Helping Traumatized Families . 2013 . Routledge . Abingdon-on-Thames . 978-1-136-70057-6 . 12.
4. Book: Renik, Owen . Practical Psychoanalysis for Therapists and Patients . 2006 . . New York City . 978-1-590-51237-1 . 153.
5. Book: Ferenczi, Sándor . Sándor Ferenczi . Dupont . Judith . Judith Dupont . Translated by Michael Balint, Nicola Zarday Jackson . The Clinical Diary of Sándor Ferenczi . illustrated, reprint, revised . 1995 . 1988 . . . 978-0-674-13527-7 . 144. First edition.
6. Book: Massing, Almuth . Massing . Almuth . Psychoanalytische Wege der Familientherapie. System Familie, Supplement . 2013 . 1990 . . 978-3-642-75598-9 . 48. First edition.
7. Encyclopedia: Sabourin . Pierre . Confusion of Tongues between Adults and the Child . . . . December 17, 2019 . January 3, 2020.
8. Web site: Rachman Wm. . Arnold . Ferenczi's "Confusion of Tongues" Paper: A Turning Point in the Understanding and Treatment of Trauma . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081120181856/http://www.sectionfive.org/continuing_education/ferenczi/commentary/ . November 20, 2008 . January 3, 2020.
9. Ferenczi, Sándor . 1932 . Confusion of the Tongues Between the Adults and the Child—(The Language of Tenderness and of Passion) . . 1949 . 30 . 4 . 225–230. First edition.
10. Book: Freud, Anna . Anna Freud . Das Ich und die Abwehrmechanismen . 1994 . 1936 . 6th, reprint . . . 978-3-596-42001-8 . Die Identifizierung mit dem Angreifer..
11. Aronson . Elliot . Elliot Aronson . Carlsmith . J. Merrill . Merrill Carlsmith . 1963 . Effect Of The Severity Of Threat On The Devaluation Of Forbidden Behavior . https://web.archive.org/web/20190304071325/http://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d796/80476123cc7806ac2def313901a1a4a0c752.pdf . dead . 2019-03-04 . . 66 . 6 . 584–588 . 10.1037/h0039901 . 2632863.