Projective identification is a key concept in the current discussion of psychoanalytic theory and treatment techniques. The term was introduced by Melanie Klein in the 1940s into the psychoanalytic discourse, although it was not extensively discussed in her published works. The authors present the theoretical development in connection with the results of clinical observations in the analytical situation. They engage the German-speaking reader with the latest relevant research while making the underlying complex interaction model clearly understandable.