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This essay forms a chapter in vol. 4 of Progress in Self Psychology. It is a detailed study of Kohut's and Jung's concepts of the self drawing out both the differences and the similarities. The authors’ purpose is to show that while different they are also complementary.
First, Kohut's self psychology is presented with admirable clarity and conciseness. The development of Kohut's idea is traced from its origins in the work of Hartmann and of Aichorn (Kohut's analyst), to his proposal that there are two separate lines of development, narcissism and object-relations, based on the existence of narcissistic libido, to his ultimate abandonment of the idea of specifically narcissistic libido as well as his repudiation of the mechanics of drive theory. They draw attention to Kohut's use of the self in the narrow sense as being equivalent to the earlier use in psychoanalysis of the ‘ego’, as the experience of ‘me’ rather than as an agency. They also emphasise the inter-psychic as well as intra-psychic nature of Kohut's understanding of the development of the self through the availability of empathic mirroring or idealised self-objects compared with the more intrapsychic model of Jung.
Jung is reviewed next and here, alas, it is difficult for the authors to maintain the same degree of clarity, as, inevitably, they have to deal with Jung's inconsistent and often contradictory or paradoxical formulations. The problem is dealt with under four headings: first, the self as totality, second, as the true centre of the psyche, third, as perceived in images of divinity, and fourth, as containing evil within itself. Each section is well illustrated with the sort of images of the self, and they give due emphasis to Jung's repeated claims that he was talking psychology and not making religious statements concerning ultimate realities.
Finally, there is a rich discussion as to how these two models can be integrated. This includes the question as to whether there is a primary non-differentia