Heinz Kohut and the Psychology of the Self

A psychiatrist with decades of experience, Dr. Allen Siegel published a book about one of the fathers of modern psychotherapy, Heinz Kohut. In this work, Dr. Allen Siegel discusses how Kohut’s work breaks from that of Freud, focusing on his idea of Self Psychology and the development of different conceptions of narcissism.

Kohut believed that personal weakness exposed by narcissism often led to mental suffering. While the great psychoanalyst made extremely important contributions to the field, his work often remains incomprehensible for individuals outside of psychology. Dr. Allen Siegel strives to clearly explain the concepts he discusses, offering real-life examples to illustrate the theories that he discusses. The work explicates the difference between healthy and unhealthy narcissism and accounts for the common causes of narcissistic injury, such as childhood trauma. Kohut held that trauma experienced during the years of development could halt maturation and keep individuals in a vicious cycle of reenacting the wound.