Self Psychology, Risk Assessment of Individuals with Exhibitionistic Disorder and the Good Lives Model—More Than Meets the Eye

ABSTRACT

This article deals with the relevance of self psychology to the risk assessment and treatment of individuals with exhibitionistic disorder. First, psychoanalytic explanations of this disorder are reviewed alongside explanations of other psychological approaches. Next, based on Heinz Kohut’s formulations, we present a developmental explanation of exhibitionistic disorder and a model which describes its dynamics. We explain how Kohut’s conceptualization of empathy as vicarious introspection can provide a better understanding of the subject’s inner world during both risk assessment and the psychotherapy of exhibitionists. Finally, we discuss the interface between self psychology and the Good Lives Model, a holistic rehabilitative approach to the offender’s lifestyle. This model may meet many of these patient’s unfulfilled mental needs and enable them to acquire the skills essential for interpersonal and social integration.

KEYWORDS:

• Empathy
• exhibitionistic disorder
• Good Lives Model
• risk assessment
• self psychology

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Marsha Weinstein for editorial assistance.

Compliance with Ethical Standards

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.