Selected for Solitude: A Case Report of Loneliness.

The U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, recently declared loneliness a public health epidemic. For therapists, that is not likely to be a surprise: Loneliness is so common in people who seek therapy that it might be seen as the bread and butter of our work. Despite that, there has not been much serious examination of intrapsychic factors that may contribute to this painful condition. Public discourse has focused instead on cultural and societal causes of loneliness, and on practical steps that might be taken to decrease it. But practical advice is not always sufficient for people with longstanding loneliness. Longstanding loneliness may be fueled by intrapsychic dynamics and become embedded in character. In some cases, patients may relish companionship yet steadfastly avoid it in an attempt to master early childhood experiences of being emotionally neglected and deprived of love. They were starved of love as children and now choose to starve themselves in an unconscious attempt to master early deprivation by identifying with the aggressor. For patients like this, chronic loneliness may signal a certain kind of attachment disorder, for it is the visible sign of early attachment to a distant or rejecting parental figure. Loneliness of that kind can be a stubborn problem and one that poses a considerable therapeutic challenge.

"Caught in the crossfire" - women veterans' testimonies regarding excessively violent acts committed in combat zones.

As women in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are increasingly placed in supportive and combat roles in active war zones, they routinely encounter and participate in violent acts. This study focusses on the centrality of gendered inequality and oppression as a factor that shapes not only women's experience in the military but also their responses in cases of excessive violence. The goal of this study was to explore the ways women veterans of combat or combat-support units conceptualize their stance regarding violent acts which they either committed or witnessed in war zones. Using a qualitative approach, we analyzed the retrospective testimonies of 58 Israeli women veterans from the archives of an NGO that documents veteran combatants exposure to excessive violence. Most women explained their violent acts as inherent to the military system and culture, which in our analysis was categorized as examples of either internalized gender oppression or as identification with the aggressor. A smaller number of women described their attempts to protest, as they took a moral stance rooted in a feminine perspective. The three explanations revealed through the analysis of the testimonies reflect the inner tension experienced by many women in the military, as they navigate between two extreme positions, either as victims of male dominance, or as aggressors that are part of a powerful military system. In this study, gendered inequality provides a framework for analyzing the data. Thus, this study contributes to the theoretical knowledge and methodological approaches concerning violent situations in combat areas, focusing on the various ways in which women veterans subjectively and retroactively conceptualize their participation in and responses to violent acts.

Treating the sequelae of chronic childhood emotional abandonment.

Chronic emotional abandonment is traumatic for children, and often leads them to identify with the aggressor (IWA)-in order to hold onto their needed attachment to their parents, they feel, think, and do what their parents require, blame themselves for being abused and for their family's unhappiness, and feel ashamed. IWA often persists as a general tendency. Treatment requires therapists' dependability, attunement, empathy, interest, humility, and perhaps playfulness. Patients' history of abandonment should be explored in detail, though patients may be protective of their parents. Therapists should explore their own behavior if necessary, and acknowledge lapses; normalize and explore patients' shame; and avoid trying to "rescue" patients. Patients must be helped to re-find authority and agency over their own lives, and mourn their early loss of feeling "the right to a life." The treatment of "Claire," a 40-something child of two depressed parents, illustrates some of these points.

Papel de la empatía en los agresores y las víctimas del acoso escolar: un estudio transversal / Role of empathy in aggressors and victims of bullying: A cross-sectional study

El acoso escolar es un fenómeno que está presente en las aulas. Las competencias emocionales que desarrollan los niños en su crecimiento pueden tener relación con la participación en este proceso. La empatía es una competencia que se ve afectada en agresores y víctimas. Este trabajo analizó si existen diferencias en el nivel de empatía en función de los participantes del acoso escolar (víctimas y acosadores). Además, se estudiasi hay diferencias en empatía en función del sexo de la persona hacia quien va dirigida la acción empática y de quién la ejerce. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 180 niños siendo el 50% chicas y 50% chicos de entre 10 y 12 años, encontrando la media en 11,23 años y la desviación típica de .914. reclutados en cinco colegios de la provincia de Alicante (Petrel, Ibi y Alicante), en España. Los niños respondieron al Cuestionario de Índice de Empatía para Niños y Adolescentes (Index of Empaty for Children and Adolescents, IECA) para evaluar la empatía y al Test Bull-S paraevaluar los posibles perfiles de agresor y víctima en las aulas. Los agresores y las víctimas obtuvieron un menor índice de empatía con respecto a la media global de la muestra; aunque no hubo diferencia en empatía entre agresores y víctimas. Las chicas puntuaron más alto en empatía que los chicos. Las chicas mostraron ser más empáticas con las chicas, que con los chicos. Se concluye que las competencias emocionales pueden verse afectadas en personas involucradas en situaciones de acoso. Por tanto, se debe dar prioridad a programas de prevención basados en mejorar las competencias emocionales y así evitar el problema del acoso escolar antes de que ocurra. (AU)

Bullying is a phenomenon that is present in the classroom. The emotional competences that children develop as they grow up may be related to their participation in this process. Empathy is a competence thatis affected in aggressors and victims. This paper analysed whether there are differences in the level of empathy depending on the participants in bullying (victims and bullies). In addition, we studied whether there are differences in empathy according to the gender of the person towards whomthe empathic action is directed and who is exercising it. The sample consisted of 180 children, 50% girls and 50% boys between 10 and 12 years of age, with a mean of 11.23 years and a standard deviation of .914, recruited from five schools in the province of Alicante (Petrel, Ibi and Alicante),Spain. The children responded to the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents (IECA) questionnaire to assess empathy and to the Bull-S test to assess possible aggressor and victim profiles in the classroom. Bullies and victims scored lower on empathy than the overall sample mean, although there was no difference in empathy between bullies and victims. Girls scored higher on empathy than boys. Girls were more empathetic towards girls than boys. It is concluded that emotional competences may be affected in people involved in bullying situations. Therefore, priority should be given to prevention programmes based on improving emotional competences in order to prevent the problem of bullying before it occurs. (AU)

[The fate of children who are victims of domestic violence]. / Le devenir des enfants victimes de violences conjugales.

Even if the child is not the direct victim of domestic violence, he or she may still suffer the effects of the violence, especially when it occurs during pregnancy. This trauma has three important consequences, of which the child is both a witness and a victim: the experience of catastrophe, which follows the fear aroused by the violence, the process of identification with the victim and the process of identification with the aggressor. This affects the attachment between the supposedly protective parent, usually the mother, and the child.

Posttraumatic Growth, Dissociation and Identification With The Aggressor Among Childhood Abuse Survivors.

Childhood abuse puts individuals at risk for psychopathology and psychiatric symptoms such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety symptoms. At the same time, research has indicated that some survivors report positive transformations in the aftermath of their trauma, known as posttraumatic growth (PTG). Yet the essence of PTG reports is questionable, and some scholars claim that it may reflect maladaptive illusory qualities. Furthermore, according to a recent theoretical model, PTG might be dissociation-based and related to survivors' bonds with their perpetrators. This study aimed to explore these claims by assessing PTG, dissociation, and identification with the aggressor (IWA), as well as PTSD and anxiety symptoms. An online survey was conducted among 597 adult childhood abuse survivors. Study variables were assessed via self-report measures. Analyses indicated positive associations between PTG, dissociation, and IWA. Three distinct profiles were found, reflecting high, medium, and low scores on PTG, dissociation, and IWA. Profile type explained PTSD and anxiety symptoms above and beyond gender, age, and abuse severity. These findings suggest that whereas some childhood abuse survivors might experience a positive transformation subsequent to their trauma, others' PTG reports might reflect dissociative mechanisms and pathological attachments to their perpetrators, and thus might be maladaptive.

Violencia de género: perspectiva de condenados y de psicólogos/as de instituciones penitenciarias. Análisis cualitativo con grupos focales / Intimate Partner Violence: perspective of convicts and psychologists of penitentiary institutions. A Qualitative analysis with focus groups

La violencia de género es un proceso complejo en el cual intervienen variables individuales, relacionales y contextuales. El presente estudio tiene como objetivo explorar las estrategias de afrontamiento y dinámicas relacionales en situaciones conflictivas en condenados por violencia de género con sus parejas. Se realizaron grupos focales con condenados por violencia de género (12 participantes) y con profesionales de la psicología (4 participantes). Los datos se exploraron mediante análisis temático siguiendo el Modelo Ecológico Anidado. El grupo de condenados muestra roles de autoridad y superioridad sobre la mujer, sensación de vulnerabilidad y rechazo ante el marco jurídico existente, miedo a sufrir arrestos por querer continuar con la relación, la necesidad de control de la pareja impulsada por lo celos, la justificación o negación de responsabilidad en las situaciones violentas o instrumentalización de los hijos/as en común. Los profesionales señalan aspectos culturales que facilitan esquemas y roles violentos en la dinámica de pareja, problemas de comunicación, negación o baja conciencia del delito, entre otros temas. Los resultados son de especial interés tanto para los profesionales que deseen conocer o profundizar en la temática como para quienes trabajen en la intervención y/o prevención en violencia de género.(AU)

Intimate Partner Violence is a complex process in which indi-vidual, relational and contextual variables intervene. The aim of this study was to explore coping strategies and relational dynamics in conflict situa-tions involving people convicted of intimate partner violence with their partners. Focus groups were conducted with convicted intimate partner violence offenders (12 participants) and with psychology professionals (4 participants). The data were explored through thematic analysis following the Nested Ecological Model. The group of convicted perpetrators showed roles of authority and superiority over the woman, a feeling of vulnerability and rejection of the existing legal framework, fear of being arrested for wanting to continue the relationship, the need to control the partner driven by jealousy, justification or denial of responsibility in violent situations or instrumentalization of the children in common. The professionals point out cultural aspects that facilitate violent patterns and roles in the couple's dynamics, communication problems, denial or low awareness of the crime, among other issues. The results are of special interest both for profession-als who wish to learn or deepen their knowledge on the subject, as well as for those who work in intervention and/or prevention of intimate partner violence.(AU)

Hyper-Sensitivity to the Perpetrator and the Likelihood of Returning to Abusive Relationships.

STUDY QUESTIONS: Although most women who are subjected to intimate partner violence attempt to leave their abusive partners, many return, and resultantly are at risk for even greater violence. Research to date has documented relations between several factors (income and economic dependence, frequency of intimate partner violence (IPV), fear of violence escalations, history of childhood abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms) and women's returning to their abusive partners. Nevertheless, the contribution of women's emotional bonds with their violent partners, known as identification with the aggressor (IWA), in explaining their perceived likelihood of going back to the relationship, has remained unclear. SUBJECTS: The current study, conducted among 258 Israeli women who had left their violent partners, aimed to fill this void. METHODS: An online survey was conducted. Demographic variables, history of childhood abuse, frequency of IPV, economic dependence on former partner, fear of future violence escalation, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, IWA, and perceived likelihood of returning to the relationship, were assessed via self-report questionnaire. FINDINGS: Results indicated that two aspects of IWA-becoming hyper-sensitive to the perpetrator and adopting the perpetrator's experience-were related to women's perceived likelihood of returning to the relationship. Furthermore, a logistic regression analysis indicated that only two factors-income and becoming hyper-sensitive to the perpetrator-uniquely contributed to explaining the likelihood of returning to abusive partners. Major implications: The current findings suggest that women's tendency to be highly attuned to their partners' feelings and needs, as a part of IWA, may impede their ability to permanently leave abusive relationships.

Child abuse and eating disorder symptoms: Shedding light on the contribution of identification with the aggressor.

BACKGROUND: Childhood abuse has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for eating disorder symptoms. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that childhood abuse may lead to identification with the aggressor, an automatic defensive process, to survive the abuse. Although it has been clinically implied, the role of identification with the aggressor as a potential mechanism underlying the relation between childhood abuse and eating disorder symptoms has not yet been empirically explored. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the role of identification with the aggressor as mediator in the association between history of childhood abuse and eating disorder symptoms among adults. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: A convenience sample of 198 participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing history of childhood abuse, eating disorder symptoms, and the various facets of identification with the aggressor. RESULTS: Severity of childhood abuse was significantly associated with shape and weight overevaluation, body dissatisfaction, and binge eating, as well as with all components of identification with the aggressor. In addition, almost all components of identification with the aggressor were significantly associated with eating disorder symptoms. Finally, identifying with the perpetrator's aggression mediated the association between childhood abuse and eating disorder symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The findings may contribute to future clinical interventions by illuminating identification with the aggressor as an important aspect in treating eating disorders. Understanding the pervasive effects of identification with the aggressor on survivors' self and their interactions with others may point to the significance of the therapeutic relationship, through which survivors can reprocess and weaken its detrimental effects.

A Complex Relationship: Intimate Partner Violence, Identification With the Aggressor, and Guilt.

This study explored the relation between guilt and identification with the aggressor (IWA) and the moderating role of IWA in the relation between intimate partner violence (IPV) and guilt. An online survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 700 women. IPV survivors demonstrated elevated guilt, and IWA was related to guilt. Furthermore, IWA moderated the relation between IPV and guilt: Among participants with low IWA levels, IPV was unrelated to guilt, but among participants with high IWA levels, IPV was related to guilt. These findings suggest that IWA may be a key element in explaining guilt among IPV survivors.

Bullying in Adolescents Practising Sport: A Structural Model Approach.

This article aims to analyse the relationship between the bullying aggressor and bullying victim profile related to practising or not practising sport in adolescents living in southern Spain. The research includes male and female participants aged between 12 and 16 years in different secondary schools in the provinces of Andalusia, Ceuta and Melilla in the period between February 2022 and June 2022. The study aims to extend the existing scientific, theoretical and empirical knowledge on the influence of playing sport or not on disruptive bullying attitudes in adolescents. To this end, two initial hypotheses were designed; the first hypothesises that bullying victim behaviours are associated with future bullying aggressor behaviours when practising sport; and the second states that victim behaviours are associated with future bullying aggressor behaviours when not practising sport. To verify them, SPSS software was used for the preliminary analysis of the scale and sociodemographic profile. Additionally, the study is based on structural equation modelling methodology and variance-based methods employing SmartPLS v3.3 software. The results show the importance of sport or physical activity to reduce the chances of carrying out bullying actions on other peers and/or classmates. Therefore, it is considered necessary to prevent bullying in the classroom by implementing sports intervention programmes in educational centres.

The Narcissistic dynamics of submission: the attraction of the powerless to authoritarian leaders.

Ferenczi's conception of identification with the aggressor, which describes children's typical response to traumatic assaults by family members, provides a remarkably good framework to understand mass social and economic trauma. In the moment of trauma, children instinctively submit and comply with what abusers want-not just in behavior but in their perceptions, thoughts, and emotions-in order to survive the assault; afterwards they often continue to comply, out of fear that the family will turn its back on them. Notably, a persistent tendency to identify with the aggressor is also typical in children who have been emotionally abandoned by narcissistically self-preoccupied parents, even when there has not been gross trauma. Similarly, large groups of people who are economically or culturally dispossessed by changes in their society typically respond by submitting and complying with the expectations of a powerful figure or group, hoping they can continue to belong-just like children who are emotionally abandoned by their families. Not surprisingly, emotional abandonment, both in individual lives and on a mass scale, is typically felt as humiliating; and it undermines the sense that life is meaningful and valuable.But the intolerable loss of belonging and of the feeling of being a valuable person often trigger exciting, aggressive, compensatory fantasies of specialness and entitlement. On the large scale, these fantasies are generally authoritarian in nature, with three main dynamics-sadomasochism, paranoid-schizoid organization, and the manic defense-plus a fourth element: the feeling of emotional truth that follows narcissistic injury, that infuses the other dynamics with a sense of emotional power and righteousness. Ironically, the angry attempt to reassert one's entitlements ends up facilitating compliance with one's oppressors and undermining the thoughtful, effective pursuit of realistic goals.

Profile of the Victimized Aggressors in Child-to-Parent Violence: Differences According to the Type of Victimization.

Background/Objective: One of the main predictors of child-to-parent violence (CPV) is childhood victimization. Recent research indicates the need to study different types of CPV aggressors. However, the distinctive characteristics of the profile of the victimized aggressor and whether these characteristics differ according to the type of victimization have not been yet analyzed. Were examined differences between four types of CPV aggressors: with family victimization, with school victimization, with polyvictimization, and without victimization experiences. Method: A total of 1,559 Spanish adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years participated. Results: Compared to nonvictimized aggressors, victimized aggressors generally exercise more reactive and instrumental CPV and show more insecure parental attachment and less emotional and coping competencies. Additionally, among the types of victimization, polyvictimized aggressors show worse adjustment compared to those with a unique type of victimization. There are also significant differences according to the gender of the aggressor; however, the interaction effect between the type of aggressor and gender is not significant. Conclusions: Considering the profile of the victimized aggressor and the type of victimization experienced in CPV can provide valuable empirical information for the approach of differential explanatory mechanisms and for the design of prevention and intervention strategies adapted to the needs of this profile.

Antecedentes/Objetivo: Uno de los principales predictores de la violencia filio-parental (VFP) es la victimización infantil. Investigaciones recientes señalan la necesidad de estudiar diferentes tipos de agresores en la VFP. Sin embargo, todavía no se han analizado las características distintivas del perfil del agresor victimizado y si estas características también difieren según el tipo de victimización. Se examinaron diferencias entre cuatro tipos de agresores de VFP: con victimización familiar, con victimización escolar, con polivictimización y sin experiencias de victimización. Método: Participaron 1.559 adolescentes españoles con edades comprendidas entre 12 y 18 años. Resultados: El agresor victimizado, respecto al no victimizado, ejerce más VFP reactiva e instrumental, muestra un apego parental más inseguro y menos habilidades emocionales y de afrontamiento. Por tipos de victimización, los agresores polivictimizados muestran peor ajuste respecto a aquellos con un único tipo de victimización. Se encuentran diferencias significativas según el género de los agresores, sin embargo, el efecto de interacción entre el tipo de agresor y el género no fue significativo. Conclusiones: Considerar en la VFP el perfil del agresor victimizado, así como el tipo de victimización experimentada, puede proporcionar información empírica valiosa tanto para el planteamiento de mecanismos explicativos diferenciales como para el diseño de estrategias de prevención e intervención adaptadas a las necesidades de este perfil.

Non-Normality as a Predictor of Participation in Bullying: Valuation in Victims and Aggressors.

Bullying is related to several variables, including diversity and variables that place the victim outside of normality. However, it is not easy to find a single meaning of normality. The present study has two main objectives: to find out whether victims are evaluated as non-normal and to find out whether aggressors are evaluated as non-normal. A cross-sectional, correlational, and quantitative study was designed, focusing on a representative sample of secondary school students from the Community of Madrid. The sample consisted of 2076 participants and was constructed using a stratified, proportional, and random sampling technique. To gather this information, a questionnaire was constructed. It includes a first section where sociodemographic and normality information is collected, and a second section made up of the Defensor del pueblo-UNICEF Bullying Questionnaire. The reliability and consistency of the questionnaire are acceptable (Cronbach's alpha 0.91). For the comparison of means between groups, a Student's t-test was applied, and the correlation between variables was calculated by applying the bivariate correlation test. Results show that victims are evaluated as non-normal while aggressors are perceived as normal. This implies that the risk of being involved in bullying situations as a victim can be predicted.

Profile of the Victimized Aggressor in Child-to-Parent Violence: Differences According to the Type of Victimization / Perfil del agresor victimizado en la violencia filio-parental: diferencias según el tipo de victimización

ResumenAntecedentes/Objetivo: Uno de los principales predictores de la violencia filio-parental (VFP) es la victimización infantil. Investigaciones recientes señalan la necesidad de estu-diar diferentes tipos de agresores en la VFP. Sin embargo, todavía no se han analizado las características distintivas del perfil del agresor victimizado y si estas características tam-bién difieren según el tipo de victimización. Se examinaron diferencias entre cuatro tipos de agresores de VFP: con victimización familiar, con victimización escolar, con polivicti-mización y sin experiencias de victimización. Método: Participaron 1.559 adolescentes españoles con edades comprendidas entre 12 y 18 años. Resultados: El agresor victimiza-do, respecto al no victimizado, ejerce más VFP reactiva e instrumental, muestra un apego parental más inseguro y menos habilidades emocionales y de afrontamiento. Por tipos de victimización, los agresores polivictimizados muestran peor ajuste respecto a aquellos con un único tipo de victimización. Se encuentran diferencias significativas se-gún el género de los agresores; sin embargo, el efecto de interacción entre el tipo de agresor y el género no fue significativo. Conclusiones: Considerar en la VFP el perfil del agresor victimizado, así como el tipo de victimización experimentada, puede proporcio-nar información empírica valiosa, tanto para el planteamiento de mecanismos explicati-vos diferenciales como para el diseño de estrategias de prevención e intervención adap-tadas a las necesidades de este perfil.

AbstractBackground/Objective: One of the main predictors of child-to-parent violence (CPV) is childhood victimization. Recent research indicates the need to study different types of CPV aggressors. However, the distinctive characteristics of the profile of the victimized aggressor and whether these characteristics differ according to the type of victimization have not been yet analyzed. Were examined differences between four types of CPV ag-gressors: with family victimization, with school victimization, with polyvictimization, and without victimization experiences. Method: A total of 1,559 Spanish adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years participated. Results: Compared to nonvictimized aggres-sors, victimized aggressors generally exercise more reactive and instrumental CPV and show more insecure parental attachment and less emotional and coping competencies. Additionally, among the types of victimization, polyvictimized aggressors show worse adjustment compared to those with a unique type of victimization. There are also signi-ficant differences according to the gender of the aggressor; however, the interaction effect between the type of aggressor and gender is not significant. Conclusions: Conside-ring the profile of the victimized aggressor and the type of victimization experienced in CPV can provide valuable empirical information for the approach of differential explana-tory mechanisms and for the design of prevention and intervention strategies adapted to the needs of this profile.

[Faced with conjugal violence, the need for a global care]. / La nécessité d'une prise en charge globale face aux violences conjugales.

Domestic violence is a public health and societal problem that must be treated in three ways: the perpetrator, the victim and the children. The treatment of this violence is multidisciplinary. It requires the commitment of everyone in the interest of all the protagonists of the family unit. Networking is essential for health professionals, social workers, police forces and the justice system.

Induction of Repeated Social Defeat Stress in Rats.

Repeated social defeat stress (RSDS) is a model of chronic stress in rodents. There are several variants of social defeat procedures that exert robust effects in mice, but few published detailed protocols to produce a robust stress and altered immunological profile in rats. In this article, we describe the protocol for the induction of RSDS in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Using a resident-intruder paradigm, a physical component of stress is induced by direct attack from the resident aggressive retired breeder Long-Evans rats on the intruder experimental rats. A subsequent threat component is induced by the presence of the aggressor in the vicinity of the intruder, but with physical separation between them. The RSDS induced by this protocol produces robust immunological and behavioral changes in the experimental rats, as evidenced by development of anxiety-like behaviors in open field, social interaction, and elevated plus maze tests, as well as by changes in immune parameters (Munshi et al., 2020). This approach has been used as an ethologically relevant model of stressors that are potent enough to impact neural circuits that are similar to the neural circuits impacted in patients with depression and anxiety.

Power in Aggressor-Victim Relationships: Exploring Social, Physical, Gender- and Ethnicity-Based Power.

Theory highlights power in aggressor-victim relationships, yet empirical work assessing dyadic power is largely absent. Variability in power balance versus imbalance within aggressor-victim dyads (based on social, physical, gender- and ethnicity-based power) was explored. Participants (N = 952; grade 6-8; 50% girls, 44% Hispanic/Latina/o) nominated aggressors and victims (4662 aggressor-victim dyads; 642 strong dyads [based on reputational strength]; 169 sustained dyads [based on longevity]). Dyadic social power (social network centrality and prestige) was calculated from friendship nominations. Self-report was used for dyadic physical (body mass index), gender- and ethnicity-based power. Across power indicators, there were more power-balanced than imbalanced dyads (particularly for strong and sustained dyads). The findings challenge theoretical notions that aggressors are more powerful than their victims and have implications for aggressor-victim relationships.

Identification With the Aggressor and Inward and Outward Aggression in Abuse Survivors.

Childhood abuse survivors may display both inward and outward aggression manifested in self-injurious behavior (SIB) and violent acts toward others. Scrutinizing the literature reveals that the relational dynamics between victims and their perpetrators might be involved in these phenomena. Yet, research on this subject matter has been sparse. Filling this gap, this study investigated the contribution of the singular bonds between victims and their perpetrators, known as identification with the aggressor, in explaining survivors' aggression. The study was conducted among 306 Israeli college/university students who reported a history of childhood abuse. Results revealed that levels of adopting the perpetrator's experience, identifying with the perpetrator's aggression, and replacing one's agency with that of the perpetrator were significantly associated with survivors' inward and outward aggression. Moreover, profile type-that is, having high versus low levels of identification with the aggressor-was implicated in participants' SIBs, urge to harm others, and violent acts toward others, above and beyond the effects of gender and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The present findings suggest that identification with the aggressor might make survivors prone to the re-enactment of past abusive dynamics, which, in turn, could eventuate in aggression toward themselves and others.