What is Projective Identification, and Why Should I Care?

We’ve all had an experience dealing with someone who is upset or angry. In these uncomfortable situations, it is sometimes difficult to know where the discomfort comes from—us or the other person. The projection of negative feelings from one person into another is what psychiatrists call “projective identification.” In this learning bite, Helen Riess, M.D., explains how healthcare professionals can spot projective identification in stressful interactions with patients and how an empathetic response can lead to a calmer state of mind for both the patient and the clinician.
Related content
-
Culture & Leadership | Innovation & Technology | Staff & Provider Engagement
Human-Centered Leader Rounding: Using Generational Insights and Personalization
Explore how healthcare leaders can design and adapt their rounding processes to cater to different patient and employee generations, combining generational data with a personalized approach that is specific to the individual. The discussion will focus on personalized care, communication preferences, and bridging generational gaps in expectations through a human-centric approach that prioritizes empathy and
Learn more -
Quality & Clinical Excellence | Staff & Provider Engagement
Good to Great: A Team Approach to Excellence
In 2023 Hartford HealthCare’s Human Experience Team embarked on a Good to Great (G2G) journey to identify teams that have the biggest impact on the metric of likelihood to recommend. The journey began with an analysis of patient experience and colleague engagement data from inpatient units across Hartford HealthCare. By analyzing data for likelihood to
Learn more -
Culture & Leadership | Staff & Provider Engagement
Shaping a Human-Centered Patient Experience Across Interdisciplinary Teams
Patient experience directly impacts patient wellbeing and care outcomes, as well as the reputation of the hospital. But is the patient experience defined by the medical care alone? A recent deep-dive study on Voice of the Patient Data highlights the fact that 53% of patients’ feedback focuses on the medical care and teams. The study
Learn more