Editorial Introduction

The world has changed dramatically since Kohut’s time—perhaps the most significant transformation being the rise of the digital world. Increasingly, our waking hours are consumed by the internet and various forms of social media, which have become almost mandatory for many of us. In this issue of Psychoanalysis, Self and Context, we explore the effects of the virtual world on the psychology of the self and its implications for psychoanalytic therapy.

We begin with papers from last year’s Rome conference plenary, “The Challenge of Being Adolescents and Young Adults in a World Pervaded by Digital/Virtual Communications.” What is striking about these papers is that they represent similar perspectives from Italy (Caprilli and Biondi), Spain (Avila Espada), Austria (Paulinz and Grossman), and the United States (Gotthold). These are followed by two papers written as senior theses by undergraduate philosophy majors—Dan Teplow and Ben King-Hails—who studied self psychology at Colorado College. We believe these contributions bring to life the experiences of young people navigating social media. This section on self psychology and the virtual world concludes with Frankfeldt’s article, which compares an AI therapist to a human one.

The journal then presents three poignant papers from Israel, written by therapists working with patients traumatized by the war. These authors also attempt to come to terms with Israel’s history and its conduct in the conflict.

The issue concludes with Annette Richard’s review of Jill Gardner’s Self Psychology: Moving from Theory to Practice. Gardner’s book will be essential reading for self psychologists and should hold an esteemed place on their bookshelves. Then, Michael Stuart Garfinkle reviews Joseph Newirth’s The Unconscious: A Contemporary Introduction.

As always, we welcome your comments and letters to the editors. To submit a letter, go to and choose “Letter to the Editors” as the submission type, or email