Heinz Kohut’s background and interest in history profoundly influenced his development of self psychology, particularly his nuanced understanding of empathy, identity, and the evolution of the self. His ideas were also shaped by philosophical influences, particularly those relating to the nature of selfhood and human experience. Here’s how these intellectual fields impacted his work:
Influence of History on Kohut’s Self Psychology
1. Historical Sensitivity to Individual Development: Kohut’s interest in history likely informed his belief that the self is shaped over time by personal experiences, societal influences, and cultural context. Like a historian analyzing an individual within their era, Kohut emphasized understanding a person’s self-development within the “narrative” of their life, recognizing that each person’s unique story profoundly impacts their psychological health and identity.
2. Empathy as a Method of Inquiry: Historians attempt to understand past individuals and cultures through empathy and immersion in context, striving to see the world from others’ perspectives. Kohut applied this idea to psychology, making empathy central to his therapeutic approach. He argued that understanding patients requires seeing their lives from within their subjective reality, paralleling the historian’s role of interpreting people within their specific historical circumstances.
3. Attention to Cultural Shifts: Kohut was attuned to the ways cultural and historical shifts influence self-concept and self-cohesion. For example, he was sensitive to how post-war American culture—with its emphasis on individualism, success, and self-worth—shaped his patients’ self-structures. His theories often reflected historical awareness of these broader social shifts and their impact on personal identity.
Influence of Philosophy on Kohut’s Self Psychology
1. Existential Philosophy and the Self: Kohut’s understanding of the self reflects existential questions about individual meaning, identity, and wholeness. Although he was not an existentialist, his focus on the self as something to be constructed and fulfilled aligns with existential themes around self-realization and authenticity. The philosophical emphasis on finding coherence and meaning in one’s own life resonates with Kohut’s aim to foster a cohesive and resilient self in his patients.
2. Phenomenology and Empathy: Kohut’s emphasis on empathy draws from phenomenological ideas about understanding others’ subjective experiences. Phenomenology posits that we can only truly know others by engaging with their perspective as closely as possible, an idea Kohut embraced by insisting that therapists should strive to enter the subjective world of their patients. This philosophical grounding helped Kohut move away from traditional psychoanalytic objectivity, making empathy central to his therapeutic approach.
3. Humanistic and Ethical Concerns: Kohut’s work is also infused with humanistic and ethical considerations, focusing on the patient’s dignity, autonomy, and personal growth. His move toward a compassionate, non-judgmental form of therapy reflects ethical philosophies that value respect for the individual, an idea that contrasts with Freud’s more deterministic view of unconscious drives.
Conclusion
Kohut’s self psychology reflects a deep engagement with historical sensitivity and philosophical ideas, blending these influences to create a model of therapy that emphasizes empathy, individual context, and the subjective reality of the patient. His historical awareness brought depth to his understanding of how the self is shaped by social and cultural forces, while philosophical ideas on empathy and selfhood allowed him to create a therapeutic approach that valued personal growth and self-cohesion. Together, these influences helped Kohut create a psychology of the self that was both humanistic and transformative.
