Identification with the victim

Abstract

Identification with the victim is a sadomasochistic compromise formation which defends against feared or forbidden destructive-libidinal wishes as it simultaneously gratifies and punishes one for having such wishes. The process involves doing to oneself what one would do to others (or, alternately, inviting or letting others do to oneself what one would do to them). People with certain symptomatic and characterologic traits seem especially prone to this. It is hypothesized, however, that identification with the victim is an essential component of all masochism, including the normal masochism of normal superegos, and is therefore ubiquitous.