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Heinz Kohut’s The Analysis of the Self, the foundational text of the psychoanalytic school of Self Psychology, was published in 1972. Self Psychology as a field of knowledge, investigation and clinical treatment will soon be 50 years old. To mark this anniversary, Routledge is initiating a book series titled New Directions in Self Psychology: Clinical, Research and Cultural Applications. Enlisting authors from a variety of disciplines, the series will examine the state-of-the–art in Self Psychology and provide an opportunity for authors to explore and extend the model in new directions.
Self Psychology has had a remarkably broad impact across disciplines and cultures. Once limited to a small but vital group centered in Chicago, Self Psychology currently has adherent organizations on every continent. In the last five years, six organizations have begun to promote Self Psychology in China alone. Over the past half century Self Psychology has influenced academic disciplines such as history, political science, art history, and social theory, as well as psychological research into child development, neuropsychology, addiction and psychopathology. Its influence on psychotherapy has been enormous, with many non-analytic models benefiting from its concepts such as motivational interviewing, grief therapies, addiction treatments, and person-centered counseling.
Most importantly, Self Psychology has continued to thrive in the field of psychoanalysis. Its 50-year history of theoretical and clinical development has resulted in a rich model with enormous clinical potential. During these years, Self Psychology has been elaborated and augmented by the contribution of many subspecialties such as motivational systems theory, Intersubjectivity theory, relational psychoanalysis, systems theory and complexity. A healthy culture of debate and experimentation has resulted in a theory and mode of treatment which is complex and multi-dimensional as well as vital and still evolving.
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