Shadow Projection and Failure of Local Closure: A Structural Model of Abusive Relationship Dynamics
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This paper delivers a structural reinterpretation of abusive dynamics under the Theory of Axiomatic Necessity (TNA), demonstrating how destructive relationships achieve remarkable stability through the externalization of psychological functions. By framing Carl Jung’s concept of shadow projection as a specific case of Failure of Local Closure, we analyze how individuals outsource disowned internal capacities to a partner to temporarily stabilize an incomplete system. While these relational frameworks provide an externalized boundary condition that maintains equilibrium, they render the system structurally dependent and inherently unstable. Consequently, genuine resolution and the cessation of the abusive cycle require the internalization and reintegration of these outsourced functions, thereby restoring local closure within the individual self.
Author: Bresciano, Claudio
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7164914129
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