Dissociation & Defensive Processes
Dissociative organization, primitive defenses, and structural fragmentation
Dr. Jones evaluates dissociative phenomena and defensive organization as central features of complex personality pathology—distinct from but often co-occurring with trauma-related conditions.
Fundamental concepts:
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Dissociative Organization | Fragmentation of experience, identity, or memory ranging from normative dissociation to pathological structures (depersonalization, derealization, dissociative identity). |
| Primitive Defenses | Splitting, projective identification, idealization, devaluation, and denial as organizers of experience in borderline and narcissistic organizations. |
| Structural Fragmentation | Discontinuity in self-experience that affects coherence, continuity, and agency. |
| Defensive Functioning in Forensic Contexts | How defensive organization shapes behavior, accountability, and presentation in legal settings. |
Clinical approach:
Dr. Jones’s work integrates contemporary understanding of dissociation with structural models of personality, recognizing that dissociative processes are not merely symptoms but often reflect underlying organization of self-experience.
Forensic relevance:
Evaluating claims of dissociative amnesia in criminal cases
Understanding defensive structure in high-conflict family dynamics
Differentiating dissociative phenomena from malingering
Assessing personality organization in trauma-related litigation
Date:
February 25, 2026
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