[How Does Analysis Cure?] [By: Kohut, Heinz] [June, 1984]

by Heinz Kohut

The Austro-American psychoanalyst Heinz Kohut was one of the foremost leaders in his field and developed the school of self-psychology, which sets aside the Freudian explanations for behavior and looks instead at self/object relationships and empathy in order to shed light on human behavior. In How Does Analysis Cure? Kohut presents the theoretical framework for self-psychology, and carefully lays out how the self develops over the course of time. Kohut also specifically defines healthy and unhealthy cases of Oedipal complexes and narcissism, while investigating the nature of analysis itself as treatment for pathologies. This in-depth examination of “the talking cure” explores the lesser studied phenomena of psychoanalysis, including when it is beneficial for analyses to be left unfinished, and the changing definition of “normal.”



An important work for working psychoanalysts, this book is important not only for psychologists, but also for anyone interested in the complex inner workings of the human psyche.

Genres: Psychology, Psychoanalysis, Nonfiction, Psychiatry

Hardcover

First published June 15, 1984

About the author

Heinz Kohut was an Austrian-born American psychoanalyst best known for his development of Self psychology, an influential school of thought within psychodynamic /psychoanalytic theory which helped transform the modern practice of analytic and dynamic treatment approaches.

Reviews

[Ghenadie Virtos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather difficult and rewarding read. This book is not for the large public, it is closer to the academic style. I had to approach it in small bites as it assumed a lot of background knowledge and understanding. The writing is convoluted and at times difficult to follow, with many digressions and intertwining of various ideas, the reader if often left alone in identifying what the main tenets are, without much help from the author or the editing of the book (as it was put together post-humously from Kohut's various manuscripts).

The main idea of the book was to explore a different approach to therapy, one that focuses on the importance of self-objects (people that played a major role in one's emotional development, usually, but not necessarily, the parents) their role in establishing a nuclear self. The reactions and responses that we receive from self-objects help us build a coherent self which is becomes autonomous in a healthy way. The failure of self-objects to provide not only the necessary support but also the necessary frustrations leaves the self without a coherent structure and without the proper mechanisms to relate to life in adulthood. Seems like most of the ideas are well accepted in modern psychoanalysis, but at the time of the book it flewed in the face of the traditional Freudian theory of drives and the three-partite structure of the self (id-ego-superego).

A worthy and difficult read to which I shall return for further research and inspiration.

[Honey's Literary Adventures · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually give it 3 and a half stars. I think it is important to read original authors of a theory. While this book gives a good sense of Kohut's theory and thinking, he is loquacious which required some patience on my part. If you are in the field, I think it is worth reading. If you are not, maybe consider a primer on Kohut.

[Julia Fronduti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Self psychology is such an important and useful theory and approach to psychotherapy but the way Kohut articulates himself is confusing and convoluted!

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting theory about the role of empathy and selfobject transference in self psychology, but this unedited version endorsed by his wife is clumsy. I'm sure Kohut's editors cleaned up his meandering writing style.

[John]

nonfiction,psychology