2026, Vol. 6, Iss. 1 - go to content...

Permanent address of this page - https://knio.ru/en/05kn126.html

Метаданные этой статьи так же доступны на русском языке

Full article in PDF format (file size: 443.2 KB)

For citation:

Kutergina I.G., Goreva A.V. The phenomenon of identification with a lost loved one as a form of psychological replacement. Cognitive Sciences in the Information Society. 2026; 6(1). Available at: https://knio.ru/PDF/05KN126.pdf (in Russian).

The phenomenon of identification with a lost loved one as a form of psychological replacement

Kutergina Inga Grigorievna
State University of Education, Moscow, Russia
E-mail: ig.kutergina@guppros.ru

Goreva Anna Vladislavovna
State University of Education, Moscow, Russia
E-mail: syrova.anna888@mail.ru

Abstract. The article presents the results of an empirical study of the phenomenon of identification with a lost loved one as a form of psychological substitution. The results obtained in this empirical study confirm the theoretical foundations of the phenomenon of identification, as well as introjection in the work of Z. Freud’s «Sadness and Melancholy», where Z. Freud described in detail the process of «embedding» the features of a deceased loved one into the personality structure of a grieving person, which can act as both a protective and adaptive mechanism in the process of experiencing grief. This study involved 20 respondents, 11 women and 9 men, who had experienced the loss of a loved one, and the research method was an anonymous questionnaire to collect data based on the Likert Scale. The questions from the questionnaire included five areas of manifestation of the phenomenon of identification — the coincidence of interests and hobbies, identical value orientations, adopting behavioral habits, making decisions «how would a deceased loved one act», as well as the feeling of «living for two», a total of 26 questions in the questionnaire. The relevance of the research is the lack of awareness of the phenomenon of identification («life for two»), where the main factor is experiencing grief and introducing certain aspects of the personality of a deceased loved one into one’s personality. The purpose of the study was to identify and confirm the phenomenon of identification with a lost loved one, as well as to determine its prevalence and key place in the process of experiencing grief. The results of the study showed that the phenomenon of identification as a form of psychological substitution was confirmed in 65 % of the respondents. The most common areas in this phenomenon were the adoption of behavioral habits (65 %), as well as decision-making «how a deceased loved one would act» (60 %). The phenomenon is less pronounced in the sphere of interests and hobbies (15 %). An analysis of the feedback in the questionnaire showed that 65 % of respondents consider the phenomenon of identification to be a way to keep in touch with a deceased loved one, 50 % of respondents see this as enriching their personality, but only 5 % of respondents believe that identification interferes with their lives. As part of this empirical study, it is concluded that identification with a lost loved one as a form of psychological substitution is a common mechanism for experiencing loss in the process of grieving. The results of the study can later be used in the practice of psychological counseling for dealing with grief and subsequent adaptation.

Keywords: thanatopsychology; psychological substitution; grief; loss of a loved one; psychological counseling; identification; complicated grief; adaptation

Download article in PDF format