Misogyny, Projective Identification, and Mentalization looks at how the psychoanalytic concepts of projective identification and mentalization may explain the construction of society and how they have enabled misogyny to be expressed in social, political, and institutional settings. Karyne E. Messina explores how misogyny has affected the perception and treatment of women through analysis of a range of examples of individual women and groups. With specific reference to the erasure of women’s contributions in society, both individually and collectively, and the trauma that arises from the many effects of regarding women as a group as "less" or "other", this is a book which sets a new agenda for understanding how misogyny is expressed socially.
Key Features
- Explores projective identification as a mechanism for the suppression of women.
- Examines the story of Clara Thompson and her erasure from psychiatric history.
- Uses individual examples, including Hillary Clinton's 2016 election loss, to demonstrate the impacts of projective identification.
- Features case studies of groups of women affected by projective identification.
- Aims to set a new agenda for understanding misogyny in social contexts.
Additional Information
The first part explores projective identification, looking at the origins of the concept in psychoanalysis and its expansion. The second part of the book shows that projective identification can, particularly in political and cultural settings, overtake and motivate groups as well as individuals, leading to violence, atrocity, humiliation, and dismissal of and against women. Part three features case studies of four groups of women from the 20th century, including victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Specifications
- Author: Karyne E. Messina
- Focus: Psychoanalysis, Gender Studies, Cultural Studies
- Relevant for: Psychoanalysts, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists, Scholars of Politics and Gender
