Weapons have been objects of fascination throughout history and have had highly symbolic meanings for many cultures, including our own. Their significance has been examined from a variety of theoretical orientations and by a number of disciplines. Self psychology provides valuable insights into the importance of weapons by viewing them as selfobjects. This perspective is useful not only for understanding pathological fascination with weapons, but also for understanding the role they play in society. This paper reviews the literature on the psychological and sociocultural importance of weapons, and proposes a self psychology formulation viewing weapons as selfobjects.