As self psychology moves from its revolutionary phase into that of a conventional science, it is clinical issues that hold our attention. The effectiveness of our clinical work increases as our discussions and refinements of the basic theoretical framework become more sophisticated. In this spirit I welcome the kind of conceptual clarification brought to self psychology by Brandchaft and by Terman in their respective chapters.

Brandchaft's case is a remarkably fitting illustration of the interaction of clinical experience with conceptual innovation that results in the fine-tuning of our therapeutic skills. He proposes—and I will use Kohut's terminology—that faulty interaction between the developing fragile self and improper selfobject responses from the caregiver may