Freudian Theories of Identification and Their Derivatives

Two years ago, prior to embarking on a program of research on parental roles and personality development, the writer was faced with the necessity of reviewing the literature on theories of identification. The task proved a difficult one on several counts. First, although current theory in this sphere derives almost exclusively from the work of one man-Sigmund Freud, the references to the topic are scattered passim through numerous books and papers written over half a lifetime. Second, when one finally views Freud's writings on this subject as a whole, it becomes abundantly clear that he often uses the same terms to refer to what are basically quite different concepts. Third, the above confusion becomes still further confounded in the later developments and modifications of Freud's theories by contemporary writers, who typically apply the same terminology in still other ways and introduce new names for concepts and processes discussed by Freud himself.