Violence in the couple in the obsessive collusion

Testor We present various situations of aggression and violence based on clinical vignettes of couples’ psychoanalytical psychotherapy sessions. We shall explore the predominant type of collusion (Dicks, 1967), which manifested itself through projective identification between both individuals in the couple. We understand the term collusion (from co-ludere) as an unconscious agreement that leads to a complementary relationship in which each develops parts of himself or herself that the other cannot possess and gives up the parts that are projected onto the partner. The hypothesis of our study is that despite the fact that situations of aggression and/or violence are common in a couple’s everyday life; violence becomes more brutal mainly in obsessive collusions (Perez Testor, 2006). This collusion is based on relations involving reciprocal control, ambivalent provocations and inseparable dependence. Obsessive collusion helps us to grasp why it is so difficult for couples to change their relationship, thus perpetuating the destructive behaviour and conveying pathological patterns of interaction for future generations. In conclusion we propose coping techniques for these types of situations.

Keywords: Key words: obsessive collusion, generational transmission, projective identification

Carles Pérez Testor, La violenza di coppia nella collusione ossessiva in "INTERAZIONI" 2/2010, pp 24-34, DOI: 10.3280/INT2010-002003