1. the process by which a victim of abuse psychologically identifies with the perpetrator of abuse, or with the group with which the perpetrator is identified, as a defensive strategy against continuing feelings of vulnerability to further victimization.

2. in the classical psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud, part of the identification process in which a child identifies with a parent (particularly the father) who is perceived to be powerful, threatening, and punitive. Freud proposed that this form of identification develops as the child’s defense against punishment by the parent. Compare anaclitic identification. See also identification with the aggressor.