Projective Identification in Educational Interactions: Mechanism Analysis and a Cybernetic Perspective

Agnieszka Szymańska

doi:10.21697/fp.2025.2.23

Published: 2025-12-30

Vol. 15 No. 2 (2025)

Projective Identification in Educational Interactions: Mechanism Analysis and a Cybernetic Perspective

Agnieszka Szymańska

Pedagogical Forum

Section: Colloquia

https://doi.org/10.21697/fp.2025.2.23

Abstract

The article discusses the mechanism of projective identification, a primitive defense mechanism often used by young children in their relationships with caregivers. It explains how this mechanism operates and explores ways to manage it in relationships between parents and children as well as among adults.
Using the cybernetic model of an autonomous system, the article illustrates how feedback loops between interaction partners influence the phenomenon of projective identification. The role of the partner's reactivity (especially that of parents, educators, or psychotherapists) is examined in terms of managing this mechanism and reducing its intensity.
The article explores how knowledge of feedback loops can guide the modulation and control of interactions, aiming to diminish the negative effects of projective identification and encourage healthier relationships.

Keywords:

projective identification, projection, fission, omnipotence, reactivity

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Szymańska, A. (2025). Projective Identification in Educational Interactions: Mechanism Analysis and a Cybernetic Perspective . Pedagogical Forum, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.21697/fp.2025.2.23

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