Impervious and intrusive
The impenetrable object in transference and countertransference
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9056404 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wilhelm Skogstad (52 Glasslyn Road, London, N8 8RH, UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 94 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 221-238 |
| Publication date | 2013-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The International Journal of Psychoanalysis (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-7578 • E-ISSN: 1745-8315 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1745-8315.12046 |
| PMID | 23560900 |
| OpenAlex | W1976019002 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 6 |
The author describes an internal object that he calls the 'impenetrable object' which has two characteristics: being impervious to the projections from the patient and being intrusive, i.e. projecting into the patient. It arises out of an early relationship with a mother who may be generally disturbed or traumatized so that she is unable to take in or tolerate the child's projections and may use the child as a receptacle for her own projections. He links the concept of an impenetrable object with other concepts such as Williams's 'reversal of the container-contained relationship' and Green's 'dead mother'. If such an object dominates the patient's internal world, it can lead to severe difficulties in the analytic process. Interpretations may be experienced as violent projections from the analyst which the patient has to ward off and the analyst may enact an impervious or intrusive object in various ways. The author describes a case in which such dynamics played a significant role. He argues that intensive work in the countertransference is required to detect subtle enactments and allow a shift in the analyst, which in turn can enable change in the patient. He gives clinical material that demonstrates such work by the analyst and illustrates the shift from an impenetrable object to a more permeable one in the patient's internal world
Countertransference · Impervious surface · Object (grammar) · Psychoanalysis · Psychoanalytic theory · Psychotherapist · Transference · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics · Ecology · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Psychology · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,36 |
| Citation span | 2015 - 2024 (10) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |