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In psychoanalytic theory of trauma, traumatizing is understood as something that happens in object relations; similarly, psychic trauma is included in
recent concepts of borderline personality disorders. In his first description of internalization caused by trauma (introjection and identification with the aggressor), Ferenczi laid the foundation for understanding how external trauma changes into autoaggressive symptomatology and acting out. Implantation of external violence is followed by its introjection, including the creation of a malignant heterogeneous introject, which now functions as a self-destructive internal force, causing feelings of guilt and worthlessness. The introject is also responsible for splitting and dissociation. The tension between introject and the other parts of the self can be reduced by assimilating identification. Trauma may include physical and psychic maltreatment, sexual abuse, unmastered severe losses, emotional deprivation (especially in early childhood), and unsolved real guilt. Transgenerational transmission of trauma forms introjects in the following generations. The function of the autoaggressive symptom can be understood as creation of an object surrogate, which corresponds to the former traumatic object. In therapy one cannot expect that it will always be possible to bring all the traumatic destruction into the transference relationship.