Self Psychology: Overview
and Applications
June 12th, 2007
THE STORY OF NARCISSUS

Once upon a time, there was a boy called Narcissus. He was the son of
a god and he was very, very handsome. Many women fell in love with
him, but he turned them away. One of the women who loved
Narcissus was a nymph called Echo. Echo could not speak properly she could only repeat what was said to her, so she couldn't tell
Narcissus that she loved him. One day, when Narcissus was walking
in the woods with some friends, he became separated from them. He
called out "Is anyone here?" Echo replied "Here, Here". Echo stepped
forward with open arms, wanting to cuddle him. But Narcissus
refused to accept Echo's love. Echo was so upset that she left and hid
in a cave, until nothing was left of her, except her voice.
THE STORY OF NARCISSUS,
continued

The Maiden, a goddess, found out
about this, and she was very angry.
She made Narcissus fall in love with himself.
When Narcissus looked at his reflection in a
pond one day, he fell in love. He stayed on
that spot forever, until he died one day.
Where he died a flower grew, and that
flower is called a Narcissus.
Kohut

Born in Vienna in 1913
 Moved to US due to Nazi invasion
 Shifted from neurology to psychiatry to
psychoanalysis
 Kohut begain writing about empathy and
self psychology in 1959
Comparison with Freud
Similarities
Emphasis on relationship
Transference reaction critical
Presenting problem - likely subset of larger
personality deficit
Importance of early developmental factors
Differences
Kohut emphasized empathy
Intrapsychic versus interpersonal history
Attitude toward psychosexual factors and stages
Kohut’s Infant Research

Early developmental research on mother child
interactions
 Studied children of psychologists
 Determined insecure identity, lack of self-identity
in many cases and often a vague sense of not
being real (inability to experience emotion)
 Also an intense need to attach themselves to
powerful figures in order to feel that their lives
had meaning
Critical Assumptions

Clinical phenomenon understood to represent the
effects of experiences which foster or interfere with
the achievement and maintenance of self-cohesion

Self is organizing principle of personality/behavior

Self disorders are common and have a considerable
range of severity
Critical Needs to SelfDevelopment and Self-Disorders
3 strong needs that must be fulfilled if
the self is to develop fully
• Mirroring
•
•
Be like others (twinship)
To idealize
Themes common in transference
In Following Clip
Identify possible Self Psych themes or
deficient needs that may be relevant for
our fan, Joe Buck
 Pay attention to song as it emerges and
how it relates to Narcissism (and story of
narcissus)
 How might you conceptualize Joe Buck’s
self development?

Optimal Frustration

There is an optimal level of frustration with
having your needs provided and providing
them for yourself (a gap)
 This gap is sufficiently small that it encourages
one to take over such for oneself the provision
of self needs rather than discouraging one.
 Example
- holding out hand, standing away
from child as learning to walk
Critical Definitions
Mirroring, Twinship, Idealization
 Optimal Frustration
 Transmuting Internalization
 Transference
 Empathy

Transmuting Internalizations
Children seize the opportunity of the “failed
mirror” to take the mirroring function into themes
and as a result, change something basic in their
self.
 Gradually, over time, these TIs add up to one
important aspect of a strong and cohesive self.

Empathy
The capacity to think and feel oneself into
the inner life of another person.
 Lifelong ability to experience what another
person experiences

Therapist role

Therapists attitude a critical factor toward the
healing process
 Development and successful communication of
empathy is critical
2 Critical questions:
1. What was it that my client was deprived of as a
client and
2. What could the therapist do about it?
To consider: Therapist role to provide or
reflect the mirror?
Healthy Self Development



Child begins to learn about empathy for others. In learning
to care for others, the self interests come to be balanced
against the concern for the welfare of others.
Healthy Narcissism: Appearance of a strong, vital, cohesive self
striving with ambition and ideals toward the full realization of a
person's skills and talents.
As child matures realize more people out there
Available psychic energy gets direct at those
people and less on self : More completely this
shift is made the healthier the person
 In fully mature adult a small amount of energy still
concerned with self-issues
Some limitations of Self
Psychology
Few techniques
May minimize importance of presenting concerns
or symptoms of distress
Little attention to cultural factors - or how healthy
self-development (and associated needs) may
differ among different cultures and communities
Non directive approach may not be appealing to
some - or appropriate for others (more
disturbed?)
Resources
Institute for advancement of self-psychology:
http://www.selfpsychology.org/iasp.htm
www.therapistfinder.net/glossary/Self-Psychology.html
Therapist's Emotional Survival: Dealing with the Pain of Exploring Trauma
By Stuart Perlman
Self Psychology and Diagnostic Assessment: Identifying Selfobject
Functions through Psychological Testing
By Marshall L. Silverstein
Heinz Kohut: The Making of a Psychoanalyst
By Charles B. Strozier