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Abstract
Sigmund Freud described ‘Besetzung’ as a central psychic mechanism very early on. The author explores how the concept of ‘Besetzung’ developed from 1893 to 1939. Due to the unfortunate translation of the word ‘Besetzung’ as ‘cathexis’, the term has lost meaning in the English-speaking world. As the author will explain, the psychoanalytic use of the term Besetzung (i.e. cathexis) as something primarily desirable does not correspond to German usage. ‘Besetzung’ has multiple meanings in German colloquial usage and can mean a neutral statement, a friendly enablement or a hostile takeover. The author explores various psychoanalytic concepts around cathexis and adds to them from infant research and mentalisation theory. As every object-relationship is also an object-Besetzung (object-cathexis) Cathexis has to be thought anew. Discovering it's richness helps to use the concept of ‘Besetzung’ clinically to better understand transference and countertransference movements. The author illustrates his thesis with a clinical case vignette.