| The historical and theoretical constructs of Klein and Bion provided the foundational framework for this dissertation's illumination of the role of projective identification as a treatment resource in marital therapy. This dissertation also provides a brief overview of current marital therapy modalities, placing emphasis on the neurobiological role of attachment. Utilizing interpretive phenomenological analysis, research takes a depth approach and juxtaposed theories in order to investigate projective identification as a valuable resource in the psychotherapeutic treatment of the marital couple. The documentation and analysis of interviews with six seasoned psychotherapists focuses on the effects of projective identification on the psychotherapeutic process, particularly how it emerges in relational patterns of interaction between the therapist and patient and between the marital couple.;The researcher posits that the marital therapy trajectory may be enhanced when therapists place emphasis on exploring the meaning behind occurrences of projective identification. The study hypothesizes that marital couples that gain insight and awareness regarding the role of projective identification in human relationships will determine their level of satisfaction in their marriage and improve the outcome of marital therapy.;The findings from the qualitative, phenomenological study revealed a paucity of knowledge and understanding among therapists regarding projection and projective identification. Secondly, a correlation between the essence and themes of projections and projective identifications and early attachment history emerged. When couples gained insight into the projections and projective identifications, they were able to view their partner through a new lens, resulting in an understanding of how past attachment relationships and past ways of relating infiltrated the marriage positively or negatively. Lastly, the research results indicated that when the therapists were able to utilize the projective identifications that occurred in the treatment setting between them and their patients, the patients were more likely to gain insight into the origins of the identifications, and most often, the identifications were related to their relational pasts and attachment traumas. |
