Self Psychology: Origins and Overview

SUMMARY The origins of Kohut's theory of self psychology can be found in Freud's metapsychology. In his first book The Analysis of the Self, Kohut, however, reversed the classical assumption that posits narcissism and object love to be in a see‐saw relationship. He proposed separate lines of development for each, that is, an independent line of development for narcissism. Kohut's shift from a psychoanalytic focus on the narcissistic sector of the personality to a psychology of the self is outlined. The concept of ‘narcissistic transferences’ gave way to ‘selfobject transference’ . The self psychological view of sexuality, aggression, resistance, psychosexual development, the Oedipal phase, transference and countertransference are presented. Treatment implications derived from these contributions are the most extensive and revolutionary aspect of Kohut's proposals. A case vignette illustrates Kohut's distinction between Oedipal conflict pathology and Oedipal phase manifestations.