An Emotionally and Psychologically Corrective Experience in Patients by Heinz Kohut and Albert Bandura - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages Self-psychology explains the self from a subjective point of view. This contrasts with attachment theory which examines the development of the self from an objective point of view. Specifically, attachment theory examines relationships, particularly those between mother and child. From a personal standpoint, when reading about self-psychology it is easy to lose this subjective perspective and begin to think about the theory as a relationship based. This is particularly true as one reads about Kohut’s ideas for conducting treatment because it is in the context of these discussions where the therapeutic relationship is used as a means of bringing about change in the analysand. Ultimately, the theory of self-psychology is about the subjective experience of the self and not a relationship between two people as an observer might describe it. An analogy can be made to the famous picture, Rubin’s Vase, associated with discussions of figure-ground relationships, which can be viewed as either two faces or a vase. In contrast, the reader of self-psychology must keep in mind the focus is on the subjective point of view. Kohut’s theory distinguishes between healthily narcissistic (i.e., cohesive self) and defensively narcissistic forms of self. A healthily narcissistic self results from optimum developmental conditions and is characterized, as Slyter (1989) put it, by “joyful creative activity, self-confidence, self-enjoyment, productivity, empathy, a sense of humour, an acceptance of one’s limitations, and an internal system of idealized goals, values, ideals, and standards which organize ambitions.” ...Download file to see next pagesRead More