Identification with the aggressor is a defense mechanism described within psychoanalysis, in which a person facing psychological trauma copes with the impossible choice of being either a victim or an abuser by taking on the role, functional traits, and aggressive or behavioral style of the aggressor rather than remaining only a victim. It has also been described as a way of coping with mental distress more broadly, and in some accounts as a particular instance of a zero-sum interaction between two parties.
Facts
Core ClaimIdentification with the aggressor is a defense mechanism that designates the assumption of the role of the aggressor when a psychological trauma poses the dilemma of being a victim or an abuser. 1 First Described Year Classification
Type of Phenomenon Sources
1. Identification with the Aggressor - Wikipedia
Intro
designates the assumption of the role of the aggressor and their functional attributes or the imitation of their aggressive and behavioral mode, when a psychological trauma poses the hopeless dilemma of being a victim or an abuser
Intro [first-described-year]
Identification with the aggressor was first described by Anna Freud in her book The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence, first published in German in 1936.
lead section, phenomenon-kind classification
Specifically, it is a defence mechanism that designates the assumption of the role of the aggressor and their functional attributes or the imitation of their aggressive and behavioral mode, when a psychological trauma poses the hopeless dilemma of being a victim or an abuser.
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