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Self psychology is a school of psychoanalytic theory and therapy created by Heinz Kohut and developed in the United States. Psychoanalysis is a body of ideas developed by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud and his followers which is devoted to the study of human psychological functioning and behavior The concept of psychosexual development, as envisioned by Sigmund Freud at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century is a central element in his sexual Psychosocial development as articulated by Erik Erikson explains Eight Stages through which a healthily developing Human should pass from Consciousness has been defined loosely as a constellation of attributes of Mind such as Subjectivity, Self-awareness, Sentience, and the See also Consciousness Jacques Lacan Philosophy of mind Rapid eye movement sleep Many observers throughout history have argued that there are influences on Consciousness from other parts of the Mind. The term psychic apparatus (sometimes translated as psychical apparatus or mental apparatus) is a central concept of Freudian Metapsychology. Id, ego, and super-ego are the three parts of the " Psychic apparatus " defined in Sigmund Freud 's structural model of Libido in its common usage means Sexual desire however more technical definitions such as those found in the work of Carl Jung, are more general referring to libido Motivation is the reason or reasons for engaging in a particular behavior especially Human behavior as studied in Philosophy, Conflict, Economics Transference is a phenomenon in Psychoanalysis characterized by unconscious redirection of feelings for one person to another In Psychology, sublimation is a coping mechanism It has its roots in the Nietzschean & psychoanalytical approach and is often also referred to as a type Psychological resistance is the phenomenon often encountered in clinical practice in which patients either directly or indirectly oppose changing their behavior or refuse to discuss Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded Alfred Adler ( February 7 1870 &ndash May 28 1937) was an Austrian medical doctor, psychologist and founder of Otto Rank ( April 22, 1884 – October 31, 1939) was an Austrian Psychoanalyst, writer teacher and therapist Anna Freud ( December 3, 1895 – October 9, 1982) was the sixth and last child of Sigmund and Martha Freud Margaret Schönberger Mahler ( May 10 1897 – October 2 1985) was a Hungarian physician who later became interested in psychiatry Karen Horney (pronounced "horn-eye" /hɔrnaɪ/ born Danielsen ( September 16, 1885 – December 4, 1952) was a German Jacques-Marie-Émile Lacan (French ʒak lakɑ̃ ( April 13, 1901 &ndash September 9, 1981) was a French Psychoanalyst William Ronald Dodds Fairbairn ( 11 August 1889 - 31 December 1964) was a member of the British Psychoanalytical Society. Melanie Klein ( March 30 1882 – September 22 1960) was an Austrian born Herbert "Harry" Stack Sullivan ( February 21, 1892, Norwich New York – January 14, 1949, Paris, France Erik Homburger Erikson ( June 15, 1902 – May 12, 1994) was born in Frankfurt to Danish parents but later obtained Nancy Julia Chodorow is a feminist sociologist and psychoanalyst born 20 January 1944 in New York City. Susan Sutherland Isaacs (née Fairhurst (1885–1948 was an English educational Psychologist and Psychoanalyst. Alfred Ernest Jones ( January 1, 1879 – February 11, 1958) Welsh Neurologist, Psychoanalyst and Sigmund Heinz Kohut May 3 1913 &ndash October 8 1981 is best known for his development of Self Psychology, a school of thought The Interpretation of Dreams is a book by Sigmund Freud. The first edition was first published in German in November 1899 as Die Traumdeutung The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis (Les quatres concepts fondamentaux de la psychanalyse is the English translation of one of the pivotal works of Jacques " Beyond the Pleasure Principle " (first published in German in 1920 as Jenseits des Lustprinzips) is an essay by Sigmund Freud. Civilization and Its Discontents is a book by Sigmund Freud. Written in 1929 and first published in German in 1930 as Das Unbehagen in der Kultur Jacques-Marie-Émile Lacan (French ʒak lakɑ̃ ( April 13, 1901 &ndash September 9, 1981) was a French Psychoanalyst Analytical psychology (or Jungian psychology) refers to the school of Psychology originating from the ideas of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, and then advanced Object relations theory is a psychodynamic theory within Psychoanalytic psychology. Interpersonal psychoanalysis is based on the theories of Harry Stack Sullivan, an American Psychiatrist who believed that the details of patient's interpersonal interactions Relational psychoanalysis is a school of Psychoanalysis in the United States that emphasizes the role of real and imagined relationships with others in Mental disorder Ego psychology is a school of Psychoanalysis rooted in Sigmund Freud 's structural -- id-ego-superego -- model of the mind Psychoanalytic theory is a general term for approaches to Psychoanalysis which attempt to provide a conceptual framework more-or-less independent of clinical practice rather Heinz Kohut May 3 1913 &ndash October 8 1981 is best known for his development of Self Psychology, a school of thought The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Self psychology explains psychopathology as being the result of disrupted or unmet developmental needs. Essential to understanding Self psychology are the concepts of empathy, self-object, mirroring, idealising, alter ego/twinship and the tripolar self. Though self psychology also recognizes certain drives, conflicts and complexes present in Freudian psychodynamic theory, these are understood within a different framework.
Heinz Kohut started out with an idealizing image of Freud and his theories, but with self-psychology, he ended up going back to the roots of psychology, viewing therapy as a "talking cure" rather than an analytical process. Heinz Kohut May 3 1913 &ndash October 8 1981 is best known for his development of Self Psychology, a school of thought After almost a century of conflicting, but working, theories of the mind, Kohut argued that what made therapy work, was more about the patient, than the analytical theories. To make therapy work, one needed to address the patient's self.
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Self
Kohut's concept of self, and "defects" in it, is the core variable of self-psychology, where for instance superego/ego/id and oedipal conflicts could be considered to be the core of Freudian theory. The Oedipus complex, in Freudian Psychoanalysis, is named after the Greek mythical character Oedipus, who unknowingly kills his father The self is thought to be an adaptable structure, with a static core, defined in early life.
Psychopathology is observed with regards to how the self adapts and reacts to other objects. For the therapist, the patient's self will also be examined with regards to how to approach the patient.
Empathy
Kohut maintained that parents' failures to empathize with their children and the responses of their children to these failures were 'at the root of almost all psychopathology' [1]. Correspondingly, he emphasized the use of empathy as a tool in therapy.
The use of the word "empathy" in self-psychology, should not be confused with a softer, more cushioning and friendly approach to therapy. In stead, Kohut describes human empathy as a therapeutic skill. When a patient acts in a certain way, "put yourself in his/her shoes" - and find out how it feels for the patient to act in this manner.
Using the skill of empathy, the therapist could be able to reach conclusions sooner (with less dialogue and interpretation), and there would also be a stronger bond between patient and therapist, making the patient feel more fundamentally understood. The implicit bond of empathy would have a curing effect in itself.
The conceptual introduction of empathy wasn't intended as a "discovery". There had been empathic moments in psychology long before Kohut. Instead, Kohut pointed out that empathy in psychology should be acknowledged as a powerful scientific tool - extending beyond "hunches" and vague "assumptions" - enabling empathy to be described, taught, and more actively used in psychology.
Selfobject
Selfobjects are external objects which function as part of the "self machinery". In other words, persons, objects or activities that "complete" the self, and which are necessary for normal functioning. Observing the patient's selfobject connections is a fundamental part of self-psychology. For instance, a person's particular habits, choice of education and work, taste in life partners, may fill a selfobject-function for that particular individual.
Selfobjects are addressed throughout Kohut's theory, and include everything from the transference phenomenon in therapy, relatives, and items (for instance Linus van Pelt's security blanket). Transference is a phenomenon in Psychoanalysis characterized by unconscious redirection of feelings for one person to another Linus van Pelt is one of the characters in Charles M Schulz 's Comic strip Peanuts. A security blanket is any familiar object whose presence provides comfort or security to its owner such as the literal Blankets often favoured by small children If psychopathology is explained as an "incomplete" or "defect" self, then the self-objects can be described as a self-prescribed "cure".
As described by Kohut, the selfobject-function (ie. what the selfobject does for the self), is taken for granted, and seems to take place in a "blindzone". The function thus usually doesn't become "visible" until the relation with the selfobject is somehow broken.
When a relationship is established with a new selfobject, the relationship connection can "lock in place" quite powerfully, and the pull of the connection may affect both self and selfobject. Powerful transference, for instance, is an example of this phenomenon. Transference is a phenomenon in Psychoanalysis characterized by unconscious redirection of feelings for one person to another
Optimal Frustration
When a selfobject is needed, but not accessible, this will create a potential problem for the self, referred to as a "frustration". This is solved, optimally, by imagining the object's presence, thus creating a "surrogate" selfobject until the selfobject is available.
If the frustration is solved too eagerly, this means that the imagined presence may not develop it's "surrogate" function. On the other hand, if the frustration response is suboptimal, the "surrogate" image may become too important.
Suboptimal frustrations and maladaptations following them, may be compared to, for instance, Freud's trauma concept, the concept could also be considered reminiscent of problem solution in the oedipal phase. Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded The Oedipus complex, in Freudian Psychoanalysis, is named after the Greek mythical character Oedipus, who unknowingly kills his father However, the scope of optimal frustration describes shaping of every "nook and cranny" of the self, rather than a few dramatic conflicts.
Idealizing
The need to establish a mutual selfobject connection with an object of idealization.
Alter ego/Twinship
Alter ego/Twinship needs concern the need to feel alikeness to other human beings[1,2]. This need relaxes as development continues allowing a greater degree of difference from others to be accepted [1,2].
The Tripolar Self
The tripolar self is not associated with bipolar disorder, but is the sum of the three "poles" of the body. The first pole is the pole "grandiose-exhibitionistic needs," the second pole is of "the need for an omnipotent idealized figure," and the third pole is pole of "alter-ego needs. " The tripolar self forms as a result of the needs of an individual binding with the interactions of other significant persons within the life of that individual.
References
- Nersessian, Edward & Kopff, Richard. Textbook of Psychoanalysis. 1996. American Psychiatric Association.
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