On Empathy¹

¹This article has been reprinted here with the kind permission of Paul H. Ornstein, Thomas Kohut, and the International Universities Press, for which the International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology is deeply grateful: Kohut, H. (1981), On empathy. In: The Search for the Self: Selected Writings of Heinz Kohut: 1978–1981, Vol. 4, ed. P. H. Ornstein. Madison, CT: International Universities Press, pp. 525–535.

Abstract

This article, a reprint of the transcript of Heinz Kohut's last public address, is Kohut's final attempt to clarify the role of empathy in psychoanalysis. Kohut defines empathy as a method of psychoanalytic investigation, and then explores the ways in which empathy itself can be a therapeutic response. He describes how empathy's role has been misinterpreted and misunderstood, and he describes the various forms in which empathic understanding may be communicated to the patient.

Translations of Abstract

Este artículo, una reimpresión de la transcripción de su última conferencia, es el último intento de Kohut de clarificar el papel de la empatía en psicoanálisis. Kohut define la empatía como el método de investigación en psicoanálisis, y explora las maneras en que la misma empatía puede ser una respuesta terapéutica. Describe como el papel de la empatía ha sido malinterpretado y malentendido, y describe las distintas formas en las que la comprensión empática se pueden comunicar al paciente.

Questo articolo è una ristampa della trascrizione dell'ultimo intervento pubblico di Kohut e rappresenta il suo tentativo finale di chiarire il ruolo dell'empatia in psicoanalisi. Kohut dapprima definisce l'empatia come metodo di indagine psicoanalitica, poi esplora come l'empatia stessa possa essere una risposta terapeutica. Inoltre, Kohut descrive le interpretazioni errate e i fraintendimenti circa il ruolo dell'empatia e propone alcune modalità tramite cui comunicare al paziente la propria comprensione empatica.

Cet article, une réimpression de la transcription du dernier discours public de Heinz Kohut, représente l'ultime tentative de la part de celui-ci pour clarifier le rôle de l'empathie en psychanalyse. Kohut définit l'empathie comme une méthode d'exploration psychanalytique, et il cherche ensuite les manières par lesquelles l'empathie en soi peut être une réponse thérapeutique. Il décrit comment le rôle de l'empathie a été mal interprété et mal compris, et il décrit les formes variables que peuvent prendre la compréhension empathique communiquée au patient.

Diese Arbeit, ein Neudruck der Transkription von Heinz Kohuts letztem Vortrag, ist sein Versuch, ein letztes Mal die Rolle der Empathie in der Psychoanalyse zu klären. Kohut definiert Empathie als Methode der psychoanalytischen Untersuchung und erklärt daraufhin, in welcher Weise Empathie für sich genommen schon eine therapeutische Antwort sein kann. Er beschreibt, wie die Rolle der Empathie fehlinterpretiert und falsch verstanden wurde und er beschreibt die verschiedenen Formen, wie empathisches Verstehen dann dem Patienten vermittelt werden kann.

Keywords:

• Kohut
• empathy
• vicarious introspection
• method of investigation
• psychoanalysis
• self psychology

Notes

¹This article has been reprinted here with the kind permission of Paul H. Ornstein, Thomas Kohut, and the International Universities Press, for which the International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology is deeply grateful: Kohut, H. (1981), On empathy. In: The Search for the Self: Selected Writings of Heinz Kohut: 1978–1981, Vol. 4, ed. P. H. Ornstein. Madison, CT: International Universities Press, pp. 525–535.

²Footnote as it originally appeared in The Search for the Self. (Editor's note: The following was transcribed from a recording of extemporaneous remarks made by Heinz Kohut at the 5th conference on Self Psychology at Berkeley, CA, in October 1981. This was Kohut's last public address before he died just a few days later. These remarks would undoubtedly have been carefully edited by him afterward, to meet his standards for publication. They have only been minimally edited here [in brackets], to enhance clarity by deleting some repetitious phrases, a few extraneous asides, and to maintain proper grammatical standards. Editing was also held to a minimum, so as to retain the immediacy, informality, and emotional impact of Kohut's delivery, even at the expense of some “inelegance” of style. An earlier transcript, prepared by Robert J. Leider, M.D., in September 1983, for the exclusive use of the Self Psychology Workshop at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, was helpful in the preparation of his version.)

³Footnote as it originally appeared in The Search for the Self. (Editor's note: Neither the search of the literature nor eyewitness accounts substantiate either the absence of sadism or their punishment when these did occur. In fact, all eyewitnesses report the frequent and most brutal sadistic acts without evidence of attempts to curb these or to punish the offender. Nevertheless, Kohut's basic thesis that the Nazis aimed at total dehumanization of camp inmates, before and during their extermination, is thereby not altered.)