Between Emergence and Dissolving: Contemporary Reflections on Greatness and Ideals in Kohut's Legacy

Abstract

The development of self psychology is examined here through contemporary reflections on basic concepts of Kohut's classical theory: greatness and ideals. The definition of man's existential condition as a permanent oscillation between emergence states of the individual self and the state of dissolving into transcendental selfhood forms a conceptual foundation for a new model in the theoretical space of self psychology. The proposed model facilitates a historiosophic exploration into the linear evolution of the Kohutian school of thought and its various derivatives, revealing—at the same time—points of disharmony which have troubled the community of self psychology throughout its entire history. The new prism proposed in this paper—a product of two decades of research and clinical work whose initial tiers have been presented in earlier papers in Israel and abroad—offers a way to decipher and resolve thorny issues in Kohut's theory, and lays down an alternative trajectory for the evolution of self psychology.

El desarrollo de la self psychology es examinado aquí a través de reflexiones contemporáneas sobre conceptos básicos en la teoría clásica de Kohut—grandiosidad e ideales. La definición de la condición existencial humana como una permanente oscilación entre estados que emergen del self individual, y el estado de disolverse en un self trascendental, forma un fundamento conceptual para un nuevo modelo en el espacio teórico de la self psychology. Este modelo propuesto facilita la exploración histórica de la evolución linear la escuela kohutiana de pensamiento y sus distintos derivativos, revelando al mismo tiempo puntos de desarmonía que ha preocupado a la comunidad de la self psychology a lo largo de toda su historia. El nuevo prisma propuesto en este artículo—el producto de dos décadas de investigación y trabajo clínico cuyos primeros escalones fueron publicados en Israel y otros países—ofrece la manera de descifrar y resolver espinosos asuntos en la teoría de Kohut, y establece un trayecto alternativo para la evolución de la self psychology.

Le développement de la psychologie du soi est étudié ici à travers une réflexion contemporaine des concepts de la théorie classique de Kohut—la grandeur et les idéaux. La définition de la condition existentielle de l'homme comme étant une oscillation permanente entre des états d'émergence du soi individuel, et un état de dissolution en un soi transcendant, forme ici le fondement conceptuel d'un nouveau modèle dans l'espace théorique de la psychologie du soi. Le modèle proposé facilite une exploration historiophilosophique de l'évolution linéaire de l'école de pensée kohutienne et de ses dérivés variables, révélant en même temps les points de désaccord qui ont troublé la communauté de la psychologie du soi tout au long de son histoire. Le nouveau prisme proposé dans cet article, résultat des recherches et du travail clinique des deux dernières décades dont les premiers éléments ont été présentés préalablement en Israël et à l'étranger—offre une manière de déchiffrer et résoudre des enjeux épineux dans la théorie de Kohut, et trace une trajectoire alternative pour l'évolution de la psychologie du soi.

Lo sviluppo della psicologia del sé è qui esaminato attraverso le riflessioni contemporanee sui concetti di base della teoria classica di Kohut—Grandiosità e Ideali (Greatness and Ideals). La definizione della condizione esistenziale dell'uomo come una oscillazione permanente tra l'emergenza di stati del sé individuale, e lo stato di dissolvenza nella condizione trascendentale della natura del sé, costituisce un fondamento concettuale per un nuovo modello nello spazio teorico della psicologia del sé. Il modello proposto facilita una esplorazione di tipo storiosofico all'interno dell'evoluzione lineare della scuola kohutiana del pensiero e nei suoi diversi derivati, rivelando allo stesso tempo punti di disarmonia che hanno travagliato la comunità della psicologia del sé lungo tutta la sua intera storia. Il nuovo prisma proposto in questo contributo—un prodotto di due decadi di ricerca e di lavoro clinico, i cui stadi iniziali sono stati presentati in precedenti scritti sia in Israele che all'estero—offre un modo di decifrare e risolvere spinosi problemi nella teoria di Kohut e formula una traiettoria alternativa per l'evoluzione della psicologia del sé.

Die Entwicklung der Selbstpsychologie wird mithilfe heute gängiger Überlegungen über grundlegende Konzepte von Kohuts klassischerTheorie—Größe und Ideale—untersucht. Die Definition der Conditio Humana als permanentem Oszillieren zwischen auftauchen- den Zuständen des individuellen Selbst und dem Zustand der Auflösung in ein transzendentales Selbstsein bildet eine konzeptuelle Grundlage für ein neues Modell im theoretischen Raum der Selbstpsychologie. Das vorgeschlagene Modell erleichtert eine „historiosophische“ Exploration der linearen Entwicklung der Kohutianischen Schule des Denkens und ihrer verschiedenen Derivative, während es zugleich die Punkte der Disharmonie offenlegt, die der selbstpsychologischen Gemeinschaft im Verlauf ihrer Geschichte Schwierigkeiten bereitet haben. Das neue „Prisma,“ das in dieser Arbeit vorgeschlagen wird—das Ergebnis zweier Jahrzehnte von Forschung und klinischer Arbeit, dessen Anfänge in früheren Arbeiten in Israel und im Ausland präsentiert wurden—bietet einen Weg an, schwierige Punkte in Kohuts Theorie zu einer Lösung zu bringen und zeigt eine alternative Bahn der Entwicklung in der Selbstpsychologie auf.

Keywords:

• cosmic selfhood
• dissolving
• emergence
• idealism
• individual existence
• pragmatism
• supra-individual existence

Notes

¹The Israeli Association for Self Psychology and the Study of Subjectivity published these two books in a Hebrew version, translated by Eldad Iddan and Tsili Zonens (with the collaboration of Am Oved Publishers and Bookworm).

²Pragmatism is a philosophical school of thought formed and elaborated in the United States in the late 19th century. Its founders were Charles S. Peirce, who gave it its name and formulated its basic principles; William James, who developed it and made it widely known; and John Dewey, who elaborated its instrumental aspects. According to pragmatism, the truth is measured by practical aims, and the truth of a statement is established according to its practical results and the usefulness it serves. Pragmatists rely on empirical experiments and practical success, and they reject a priori hypotheses as the source of human knowledge. Pragmatism's most profound inherent essence is the basic hypothesis that thoughts, ideas, and views are merely tools in an individual's life, and they have no metaphysical meaning.

³Idealism is a general term denoting several philosophical currents, which ascribe supreme importance to the spiritual as opposed to the material. According to idealistic conception, reason—and, to a greater extent, spirit—plays a central role in shaping the world: Thought creates and forms the universe. It is customary to divide the emergence of idealism as a philosophical current into two periods: a pre-Kant idealism represented primarily by George Berkeley and a later, transcendental idealism, whose most prominent spokesmen are Hegel, Fichte, and Schelling. One should note that idealism, in its sense as a philosophical concept, first appeared in the writings of Leibnitz in the late 17th century in the form of “metaphysical idealism.”

⁴John H. Riker, a philosopher studying Kohut and his place in Western thinking about the human self, published an article in 1996 in which he re-appraised the bipolar model as possessing first-rate heuristic power.