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Both self psychology and its theory of narcissism developed by Heinz Kohut (1971, 1977, 1978) have contributed much to the theory and practice of psychoanalysis. With some notable exceptions (e.g., Krake 1978; Homans 1979), this clinical contribution has not been widely used in psychoanalytic interpretations of culture, including religion and art. The purpose of this article is to explore the narcissistic elements in the life of Augustine which affected his religious development and its literary expression. In doing so I shall argue that Kohut's theory of narcissism provides more accurate psychological insight into the life and work of Augustine than classical drive theory. Moreover, I shall suggest how Augustine's narcissism fueled and informed the metaphorical content of his Confessions—a document of singular importance in the history of Christianity.
My thesis is that certain key narcissistic elements were never fully integrated into Augustine's developing self, and remained split-off parts of his adult self. This lack of self-cohesion appears in his Confessions in three forms to be discussed in this article: significant events in Augustine's development; his adult reflections on these and other events; and, the metaphorical language of his speculative theology.
In the first part of this article, I argue the inadequacy of the classical drive theory. In part two, I present a summary of Kohut's theory of narcissism. In the third part, I apply that theory to an analysis of the narcissistic factors in Augustine. The fourth part contains a brief analysis of Augustine's adult life, including his conversion. Finally, in the conclusion I indicate the significance of narcissism to the Confessions and, by extension, to the history of Christian thought.