Self psychology

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Self psychology is a school of psychoanalytic theory and therapy developed in the United States, based on the work of Heinz Kohut. 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.

The International Council for Psychoanalytic Self Psychology is the main professional organization.

Contents 1 Empathy 2 Self-object 3 Idealizing 4 Alter ego/Twinship 5 The Tripolar Self 6 References 7 See also 8 References & Bibliography 9 Key texts 9.1 Books 9.2 Papers 10 Additional material 10.1 Books 10.2 Papers 11 External links

[edit] Empathy

Kohut maintained that the 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].

[edit] Self-object

A loss of boundaries, where what is self and object are blurred. The distinction between self and external object is not clear.

[edit] Idealizing

[edit] Alter ego/Twinship

Alter ego/Twinship needs concern the need to feel alikness 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].

[edit] 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.

[edit] References

• Nersessian, Edward & Kopff, Richard. Textbook of Psychoanalysis. 1996. American Psychiatric Association.

[edit] See also

• Humanistic psychology
• Mirroring
• Object relations
• Personality theory
• Psychoanalytic theory

[edit] References & Bibliography

[edit] Key texts

[edit] Books

[edit] Papers

[edit] Additional material

[edit] Books

[edit] Papers

• Google Scholar

[edit] External links

• Self Psychology Page, published by David Wolf
• The International Council for Psychoanalytic Self Psychology website