Overview

This revised edition of Heinz Kohut and the Psychology of the Self offers a clear, detailed explanation of self psychology theory, as it was written by Heinz Kohut. A founder of the Self Psychology movement in America, Kohut based his practice on the belief that narcissistic vulnerabilities play a significant part in the suffering that brings people for treatment. The authors analyze Kohut’s work and writing, using examples from their own practice to show how Kohut's innovative theories can be applied. This new edition makes the case that today’s learners will still benefit from a close study of Kohut’s primary documents and argues that his ideas remain foundational for modern clinical work and for understanding the underpinnings of contemporary theories. It offers a discussion of shifting theoretical contexts, from when Kohut first wrote to when the first edition was written, and to now. In a new preface, the co-authors introduce themselves and delineate their two distinct vantage points, distinguished by their difference in age and experience, gender, training milieu, etc. Collaboratively, they bring a valuable dynamic perspective to Kohut’s original material. Another new chapter, deeply influenced by Kohut’s teachings, represents a contemporary view about Clinical Listening. This revised edition is intended for students and practitioners at any level of practice who are interested in a deeper understanding of Kohut’s ideas.

Full Product Details

9781041134657

Table of Contents

Reviews

“Allen Siegel’s 1996 classic, Heinz Kohut and the Psychology of the Self, has been an influential reference and teaching tool for decades. Based on the author’s extensive clinical experience it explicates the at-times turgid writings of Kohut into clear understandable terms. In this second edition Siegel is joined by Paige LaCava, also therapist and teacher in touch with today’s learners. It enriches the original with a new Preface and Introduction, and an interesting essay On Listening drawn from their Kohut-derived listening stance. An Afterward describes both their individual interests in Kohut and their collaborative work on this book.” Jonathan F. Borus, M.D., Stanley Cobb Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry ,Harvard Medical School “Allen Siegel and Paige LaCava trace the revolutionary journey of Heinz Kohut who dared to redefine the nature of mental life through the nuanced language of empathy and the experience of the self. Using vivid clinical vignettes and philosophical insight the book examines what it means to be mentally ill—and what it means to be whole. It rethinks the foundations of psychological data, offering a compelling argument that empathy is not merely a tool but the very method through which the mind reveals itself.” David Solomon MD “In the first edition of Heinz Kohut and the Psychology of the Self, Siegel masterfully describes how Freud’s theories laid groundwork for what became self psychology. In this 2nd edition, Siegel is joined by Paige LaCava in a creative expansion. They go beyond the mapping of self psychology’s origins and features, adding current cultural perspectives. The reader feels invited into the world of these clinicians who share their experience-near process. Long gone is the distant “objective “ therapist and the style of reporter-like writing. Read this engaging book to explore how Kohut’s theory still informs our ever-changing psychodynamic world.” Constance Goldberg MS, Faculty Emerita, The Institute for Clinical Social Work, Chicago

Author Information

Allen M. Siegel, MD, has been a student of Heinz Kohut’s psychology of the self for 50 years. He is a psychoanalyst in private practice, Chicago. Paige LaCava, PhD, LCPC, is a psychotherapist in private practice. She enjoys writing about clinical theory.

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