A Brief Review of Self Psychology

Carl V. Rabstejnek, P.E., M.B.A.. Ph.D.

Heinz Kohut founded and fostered self psychology.1-7 He initially practiced in the Freudian
tradition, before changing his approach. Kohut described the differences in content and outcome
of classical psychoanalysis versus analysis of the self in his much examined key paper: “The Two
Analyses of Mr. Z.”4 Although self psychology evolved out of the psychoanalytic tradition, it is
a major departure from traditional drive theory and object relations theory.8,9
Freud’s seminal development of psychoanalysis arose out of his work with neurotic patients.
These patients had essentially traversed through the initial stages of development and had
internalized conflicts of the Oedipal phase. Psychoanalytic theory was not fixed but was evolved
by Freud and others over his lifetime and development continued after his death. Freud first
theorized a typographical model of the mind (i.e., Conscious, Unconscious, and Preconscious), then
the structural model of the mind (i.e., Ego, Id, and Superego). Psychoanalytic treatment focused
on interpreting aggressive and sexual drives, on the internal images formed by the child in her/his
primary relationships, and the resolution of intrapsychic conflicts. Building upon Freud’s base, ego
psychology and object relations theories were advanced.10 Kohut’s addition was to1-7 focus on the
narcissistic core of the person.
Self psychology was not understood and accepted by the psychoanalytic community, a situation
that did not please Kohut.5 Essentially, self psychology is a positive psychology rather than a
negative bio-psychological view of humanity. Kohut believed in intergenerational continuity rather
than inevitable biological conflict between generations. He wanted to access the essential nucleus
of man's self and felt that could best be gained with a shift from biology to psychology. Wolf,11
an early and major collaborator with Kohut,7 explained that fulfillment comes by living in harmony
with the self’s life plan. Although there is the flavor of humanistic psychology in self psychology,12
Carl Rogers13 did not readily embrace the convergence of his person-centered therapy’s construct
with the work of Heinz Kohut.
Self psychology is based on a theory of normal, not pathological, development. Treatment
depends upon upon a corrective therapeutic experience that allows healthy structure to be belatedly
formed in a relationship with an empathic therapist. It is believed that the infant is equipped at
birth with adaptive patterns for relating to adults.14 The child is born strong, not helpless, and has
innate, hardwired ability to relate in natural empathic self object milieu and able to fit
harmoniously into his or her surrounding of birth.9
It is the relationship with other people that advances the development of a healthy sense of self
with the use of “self objects.”9 Self object is the term used to describe objects that a child (or adult)
experiences as part of her or his self. There are two types of self objects: mirroring self objects are
those which confirm a child’s (and adult’s) sense of greatness, perfection, and vigor; and idealized
parent imago (image) are those who the child idealizes or looks up to as infallible, omnipotent,
and calm. Through the relationship with self objects we develop the core constituents of our
personality — the self. The self results as an effect from the interplay between people in the
environment whom the child experiences as self objects. Therefore, the relationship that ensues
between the infant and child with his or her parents contributes toward the development of a sense
of self.
The Ornsteins9 explained that through optimal interactions between a child and her or his self
objects a firm self is developed toward two poles. One axis direction harbors basic striving for
success and power; and the other harbors basic individual goals. An intermediate area harbors basic
skills and talents which are activated by a tension-arc established between ideals and ambitions.

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 Kohut’s original intention for the selfobject was for another person to perform functions that
one could not be perform for oneself.8 Over the years this concept has greatly expanded. The
selfobject is not difficult to understand, but it is important to realize that the selfobject in not the
person but the function that he or she performs.
Psychotherapy
Failure of the childhood developmental environment to provide the necessary mirroring
responses, fortunately, can be rectified in adulthood by a relationship with a competent
psychotherapist. Where the early environment failed to provide needed psychological requirements,
a second chance at beneficent internalization can be provided in analytic treatment.15 Internalization
of a repaired psychic structure is the essence of change in psychodynamic psychotherapy. Kohut
coined the term “transmuting internalization” to describe the process whereby the psychological
structure is acquired from the primary caregiver who is the foundation for true psychic separation
and a cohesive self.16
Transmuting internalization describes the person’s innate, archaic, budding capacities that are
potentially available in the course of development.9 Permanent psychic structures are gradually
transformed within an empathic self object matrix.
Kohut believed that there was optimum gratification and optimum frustration, plus an optimum
empathic responsiveness appropriate for developing wisdom, security, empathy, and humor.
Observation of transmuting internalizations as patients worked through selfobject transferences
provided the theory and technique for the systematic and deliberate means which allow structure
building and structural change in the psychoanalytic process.17 Transmuting internalization is a
concept derived from its developmental analogue — when there are minor empathic failures and
delayed responses to the infant by his or her self object, internalized structure builds. Frustrations
occurring in the average expected environment by the caretaking self object, such as anxiety
reduction, tension regulation, and soothing are internalized. Self object transferences that occur in
psychoanalysis temporarily provide these functions, thereby enabling the client to experience self-
cohesion.
Empathy is the key ingredient in the corrective therapeutic experience. Self-righting in facilitated
by the analyst’s use of the empathic mode of perceptions.18 The analyst needs to be reliable, willing
to accept responsibility, able to listen with care and concern, and tactful, so that individually and
together the patient can correct for defects in relational qualities. The therapist offers himself or
herself as an object in the here and now through which transference conflicts can be experienced as
real.19 Much of this interpersonal exchange is carried out through the use of language which
maintains a tolerable empathic distance in the transference.20
A key confusion exists, however, in the application of empathy and what the term means.
Definition of empathy is difficult but the subtlety and specificity of its meaning can be derived form
Kohut's last paper.5 At the time, he was exasperated at the misunderstanding of empathy presented
in a paper he delivered twenty-five years earlier.21 As empathy is used variously across the public
and psychological literature, I believe an extended quotation from later in Kohut’s life, edited and
published posthumously, will be useful:
I did not write about empathy as a psychic activity. I did not write about empathy as
associated with any specific emotion such as, in particular, compassion or affection.
It may be motivated by, and used in the service of, hostile-destructive aims. I did not
write about empathy as associated with intuition. As is the case with extrospection,
it may, occasionally, be used seemingly intuitively by experts: that is, via mental
processes of observation that identify complex configurations pre-consciously and

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 at great speed. But mostly, certainly in psychoanalysis, empathy is used non-
intuitively, ploddingly, if you wish, by trial and error. I did not write about empathy
as being always correct and accurate. As is the case with extrospection and internal
reality, introspection and empathy may misperceive the psychic reality we scrutinize
(already on the level of data collection), either because we are guided by erroneous
expectations, by misleading theories that distort our perception, or because we are not
sufficiently conscientious and rigorous in immersing ourselves for protracted periods
in the field of our observation. We must, in other words, be able to tolerate
uncertainty and to postpone our closures.5 (p. 396)
I think the above reactive paragraph goes a long way in clarifying confusion with the term empathy.
Ornstein and Ornstein17 state more positively, with an embedded quote, that the “empathic-
introspective stance of observation and communication positions the analyst inside the subjective
(intrapsychic) world of the patient and he thus focuses his attention on 'how it feels to be the subject,
rather than the target of the patient’s needs and demands...’” [italics added] (Schwaber, 1979).22 In
contrast, the external observer remains outside the patient’s psychic reality and he is therefore
restricted to an ill-suited inferential approach to the complex inner world” [bracketed statement in
original] (p. 207).
Psychodynamic approaches distinctly emphasize the subjective meaning of experience and the
patient-therapist’s therapeutic relationship to transform the way in which the world is experienced.23,
24
Facts in the psychoanalytic clinical domain are jointly created by both the therapist and the patient
and are dependent on the theory held and the method of interpretation used.25 One observes the
process from within, not outside, the “contextual unit” or “inter-subjective field” which is being
observed; this provides for the centrality of the empathic and introspective methods of observation.26
Within the relationship with an empathic and mirroring therapist, the patient may risk dealing
with long-held maladaptive protective defenses against his or her frustrated needs and wishes. An
obstacle to progress is the patient’s fear of being re-traumatized by the therapist’s reaction to his or
her expression of needs and wishes. Also, the patient may not be able to perceive and respond to the
therapist’s attempt at empathic understanding and responses.9
The state of the self is profoundly effected by feeling understood and explaining generates insight
which can only be derived by the patient, it is not something that can be given.9 The psychotherapist
interacts with the patient in the therapy situation and together they create a mutually constructed
reality. It is what transpires between the therapist and patient that provides the material for
therapeutic change, not the nature of the psychopathology (e.g., whether it is pre-Oedipal or Oedipal
in nature).27
As it is the relationship which is important, the therapist using self psychology is able to be more
interactive with the client. Ordinary, everyday human courtesies are not considered to undermine the
success of treatment and, in fact, more openly friendly and freer atmospheres may contribute to
therapeutic success. The arbitrary distance of classical psychoanalysis was a guard against
inadvertent satisfaction of drive based needs or wishes. The obstacle to progress is the patient’s fear
of being re-traumatized or inability to receive empathic understanding by the therapist.9
Self psychology was a new paradigm, removed from the topographical mode of “making the
unconscious conscious” or the structural mode of “where id was there shall ego be.”28 Also,
repression and defenses are looked upon differently in self psychology than in classical
psychoanalysis. Basch28 makes a distinction about repression that seems helpful in appreciating a
shift in what goes on in different approaches to therapy. That is, narcissistic character disordered
people seem to use disavowal as their main defense, rather than repression. Therefore, this primary
resistance needs to be overcome before working on the other defenses. This resistance is a guard
against being retraumatized in the present and to protect the self.9

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 REFERENCES
1
Kohut, H. (1966). Forms and transformations of narcissism. Journal of the American
Psychoanalytic Association, 14, 243-272.
2
Kohut, H. (1971). The analysis of the self. New York: International University Press.
3
Kohut, H. (1977). The restoration of the self. New York: International University Press.
4
Kohut, H. (1979). The two analyses of Mr. Z. International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 60, 3-27.
5
Kohut, H. (1982). Introspection, empathy, and the semi-circle of mental health. International
Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 63, 395-407.
6
Kohut, H. (1984). How does analysis cure? Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
7
Kohut, H., & Wolf, E. S. (1978). The disorders of the self and their treatment: On outline.
International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 59, 413-425.
8
Goldberg, A. (1980-1981). Self psychology and the distinctiveness of psychotherapy. International
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9
Ornstein, P. H., & Ornstein, A. (1996). I. Some general principles of psychoanalytic therapy: A self-
psychological perspective. (pp. 87-101). In L. E. Lifson (Ed.), Understanding therapeutic action:
psychodynamic concepts of cure. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press.
10
Kernberg, O. F. (1995). Paychoanalytic object relations theories. In B. E. Moore & B. D. Fine,
Psychoanalysis: The major concepts. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
11
Wolf, E. S. (1988). Treating the self. New York: Guilford.
12
Tobin, S. A. (1991). A comparison of psychoanalytic self psychology and Carl Rogers’s person-
centered therapy. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 31, 9-33.
13
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14
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15
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16
Tolpin, M. (1971). On the beginnings of a cohesive self. The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child,
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17
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18
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19
Ornstein, P. H., & Goldberg, A. (1973). Psychoanalysis and medicine: I. Contributions to
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20
Havens, L. (1980). Explorations in the uses of language in psychotherapy. Journal of
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21
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22
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23
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24
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25
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26
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27
Ornstein, P. H., & Ornstein, A. (1996). II. Speaking of interpretive mode and feeling understood:
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28
Basch, M. F. (1981). Psychoanalytic interpretation and cognitive transformation. International
Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 62, 151-175.

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