Enactments: An Evolving Dyadic Concept of Acting Out
Abstract
Acting out seeks to communicate unconscious urges and important childhood experiences, yet can present as a resistance to insight. Mutual and interacting regressive transferences stimulate acting-out behaviors that have led to the concepts of actualization and enactment. An enactment is an unconscious but interpersonal communication, in which gestures and body language play a unique role. Initially an enactment may include a component of the therapist’s reciprocal behavior as a precursor to fuller dynamic understanding and eventual definitive interpretation.
Access content
To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.- Personal login
- Institutional Login
- Sign in via OpenAthens
- Register for access
-
Please login/register if you wish to pair your device and check access availability.
Not a subscriber?
PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5 library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.
Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).