THE EFFECT OF KOHUT'S APPROACH ON PSYCHOANALYTIC TREATMENT OF NARCISSISTIC PATIENTS.
Item
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Title
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THE EFFECT OF KOHUT'S APPROACH ON PSYCHOANALYTIC TREATMENT OF NARCISSISTIC PATIENTS.
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Identifier
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AAI8601664
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identifier
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8601664
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Creator
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KAUFMANN, PETER FRITZ.
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Contributor
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Steven Ellman
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Date
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1985
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical
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Abstract
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This thesis considers the effect on psychoanalytic treatment with narcissistic patients of practicing Kohut's related ideas about etiology and technique.;From reviewing Kohut's ideas about development and treatment, the conclusion is drawn that he maintains an environmentalist perspective. He argues that narcissistic disorders are caused by parental empathic failures committed during childhood and that the mind functions in a reactive way to these environmental deficiencies. Consistent with his etiological views, Kohut advocates that the analyst only interpret the regressed patient's established transference state when the patient experiences a break in empathy. In Kohut's view, these interpretations mitigate the impact of experiencing a repetition of childhood environmental insufficiency and facilitate transference resolution. With supposed transference resolution, the patient repairs psychic structure and makes adaptive gains.;Kohut's ideas are compared with the views of three of his critics--Kernberg, Rothstein and Ellman--who maintain interactive perspectives about etiology derived from classical psychoanalytic theory. These critics raise questions about Kohut's interpretation of his treatment results. They maintain that Kohut's approach does not lead to transference resolution, but produces a supportive, psychotherapeutic outcome or transference cure. In support of Rothstein's and Ellman's arguments, it is outlined how perceived break in empathy interpretations could facilitate the type of Kohutian result which they posit.;Developing Ellman's hypothesis that Kohut's approach leads to a transference cure, five ways are presented in which Kohutian treatment may involve transference cure processes. It is argued that the patient's tie to the external and then introjected analyst bolsters the patient's self-esteem and enhances his external functioning by offering reparative narcissistic gratifications, reinforcing his adaptive behavior and sanctioning previously prohibited activities. It is suggested too, that the patient's identifications with the analyst's perceived attributes and viewpoint may contribute to his making adaptive gains. The successful Kohutian cases of Mr. I and Mr. M are reviewed to illustrate these transference cure processes. In the theoretical and clinical discussions, questions are raised about the vulnerability of Kohutian results to post-termination environmental setbacks.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
