Projective identification and working through of the countertransference: a multiphase model

Referring to Melanie Klein's unpublished views on projective identification, Bion's theory of container/contained and Money-Kyrle's understanding of countertransference as a process of transformation, the author develops a multiphase model of projective identification. He differentiates five subphases of (1) adhesion, (2) penetration, (3) linking of the projection with an internal object of the analyst, (4) transformation and (5) re-projection. In the author's view the differentiation of overlapping subphases may be helpful to better localize problems of working through the countertransference. Some technical implications are illustrated by brief clinical vignettes. To conclude, the paper discusses typical impasses and options for interpretation.