Psychoanalysis, Experiential History, and Empathy

Abstract

This article focuses on the intersection of psychoanalysis and history by examining the work of the German historian and psychoanalyst by training, Thomas Kohut. The way in which history shapes the psyche and the importance of seeing psychological experience in its wider social, cultural, and historical context are emphasized. The notions of experiential history and empathy are explored, particularly as they relate to Kohut’s understanding modern German history and the perpetration of the Holocaust. His detailed examination of the German generation of perpetrators and enablers is elaborated, and his analysis of the culture that shaped them is considered.

Keywords:

• empathy
• enabler
• experience
• Germany Holocaust
• history
• perpetrator
• psychoanalysis