Showing papers on "Self psychology published in 2006"

Symptom-Focused Dynamic Psychotherapy

Abstract: Early psychoanalytic perspectives were characterized by an emphasis on purported unconscious processes that contraindicated direct interventions with symptoms. However, the modern relational psychoanalytic approach offers a sophisticated base for the assimilation of action-oriented techniques. I provide a rationale for including a direct focus on symptoms in some treatments and argue that symptom intervention alone will be insufficient in many cases. My integrative model permits direct work with symptoms as well as an appreciation of their biopsychosocial etiology within a particular context. Symptom-focused dynamic psychotherapy is informed by current relational perspectives including attachment theory and self psychology. Action-oriented techniques from the cognitive‐behavioral tradition may be incorporated on the basis of the patient’s needs and the intervention’s usability within a particular therapeutic relationship. Integrative treatment fosters the development of a consolidated and integrated self and promotes secure and balanced relationships with others.

Psychodynamic Music Therapy: Case Studies

Abstract: Hadley, S., Ed. (2003). Psychodynamic music therapy: Case studies. Gilsum, NH, Barcelona Publishers.Whether a music therapy student, seasoned practitioner, music therapy educator or researcher, and whether psychodynamically inclined or just "psychodynamically curious," this book offers something for everyone. Dr. Susan Hadley (MT-BC) has edited a collection of 21 case studies that illuminate the psychodynamic music therapy practices of music therapists working in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, and the United States. Before starting in with the case studies, there are brief biographies of each contributor. Hadley's preface identifies her pedagogical influences; a personal affinity for psychodynamic understandings, past meaningful experiences as a client in analytical music therapy (Priestley), creative music therapy (Nordoff § Robbins), and Guided Imagery and Music (The Bonny Method), emphasizing her strong desire to see more music therapists excited and keen on pursuing advanced training in music therapy. Hadley does not suggest, however, that psychodynamic music therapy is the only legitimate avenue for pursuing advanced knowledge, nor a blanket solution for each and every client. She writes,Psychodynamic music therapy consists of useful constructs, not 'absolute truths, ' which are adopted by clinicians and provide a framework within which to analyze and interpret behavior. This framework provides conceptual tools that are used to enhance our understanding of our clients and their experiences. It is very important that we, as music therapists, use these tools in relationship to the distinctive nuances that each client brings to the therapeutic situation. By applying these conceptual tools to the unique needs of each client, our thinking is informed in such a way that we are able to create innovative ways of using music to help each individual client lead a healthier life within the context of his/her particular issues, (p. xx)Psychodynamic music therapy's history is overviewed in a 14-page introduction that follows the preface. Key influential music therapists are identified (e.g., Tyson, Alvin, Bonny, Priestly, Nordoff and Robbins, Benenzon, Bruscia, and Eschen), five psychodynamic theories are summarized (Drive Psychology, Ego Psychology, Object Relations, Self Psychology, and Jungian Theory), and key constructs are defined (defences, transference, countertransference). Last is a six-page reference list for those who want to know more. These opening chapters are helpful. They give readers a clear map for navigating the upcoming terrain of the 21 rich and varied case studies.Because psychodynamic music therapy has no singular representation, case studies provide an effective, accessible way in which to convey the range and reach of music therapy practices identified as psychodynamic. The unifying thread through the book's case studies is an exploration of the subconscious/ unconscious as revealed in the music and between the client and music therapist. All psychodynamic theories assume that intrapsychic conflict is at the source of an individual's problems. Improvement requires insight of the conflict. Consequently, psychodynamic music therapists consider early childhood development of conflicts and motives, interpret their manifestations in the music and client-therapist relationship, and use these understandings to facilitate therapeutic change.The case studies are grouped developmentally (i.e., children, adolescents, adults) and exemplify a range of client problems, music therapy methods, treatment time frames, and work settings. For example, Catherine Sweeney, Helen Tyler, Juliane Kowski, Penny Rogers, and Viola Schonfeld write compassionately and honestly about the trials and tribulations of music therapy with children and adolescents who have been abused and neglected. Jacqueline Robarts articulately describes the power of songs in music therapy, their ability to be both a "container and transformer of feelings" (p. …

Relationality in Kohut's psychology of the self

Abstract: In this essay, I will posit that Kohut's psychology of the self portrays relationality and that its relationality can be categorized into the explicit aspects. I will also put forth the six aspects of relationality contained in Kohut's psychology of the self as relational, dynamic, wholistic, unilateral, mutual, and doxological and they can be summarized as following: (1) Relational: Narcissism is not self-love but is a particular kind of object relationship; (2) Dynamic: The most central self is dynamic or agentic and not defined in substantival attributes; (3) Wholistic: The whole of the self is important; (4) Unilateral: In order for one's self to develop, one is in need of and at the receptive end of another's empathy; (5) Mutual: Others’ empathy is needed in maintaining the health of the developed selves; and (6) Doxological: Joy and thanksgiving are natural expression of developed selves.

The Self and the Integral Interface: Toward a New Understanding of the Whole Person

Abstract: Of all psychology concepts, perhaps none has a more lengthy history or engendered more controversy and ambiguity than that of the self. Indeed, the self has come to mean so many things that it hardly means anything at all. Consequently, there is currently no single theory integrating all the various meanings of the self concept. Therefore, the primary purpose of this paper is to develop an overarching metapsychology by which all aspects of the self can be understood. To accomplish this purpose, this article engages in a hermeneutic analysis of the self as it appears in cognitive behavior psychology, the psychoanalytic theories of ego and self psychology, and humanistic–existential theories of the self. In so doing, it is possible to identify two principle concepts by which the various aspects of the self can be compared and classified: the conflation frame, the collapsing of entity, intellect, and identity into a single rendering of the self; and the integral interface, the overriding theoretical framewor...

Dreams as portraits of self and group interaction.

Abstract: Dreams presented in group psychotherapy portray different aspects of the dialectic between the group and the individual. A self psychology perspective emphasizes the interplay between the current self-state of the group-as-a-whole and the selfobject needs of the individual. With this focus in mind, the therapist should help the group to deepen its awareness and capacity to reflect on emerging new abilities ("forward edge") which dream imagery conveys and the needed human responsiveness that can actualize these abilities and thus help the individual and the group to break and transform chains of repetition compulsion. We illustrate this approach with two clinical examples.

Multiple Selves in Postmodern Theory: An Existential Integrative Critique 1

Abstract: The self has come under considerable attack in postmodern times. Amidst many deconstructions and re-formulations of the self, various myths of self have lost their sustainability. This paper reviews a number of different theoretical perspectives on the self along with many postmodern challenges to the self. It is proposed that the self is a socially constructed entity which can be conceptualized from a variety of perspectives. We also propose that not all myths of self are equal. In particular, premodern and modern myths of self are inadequate for postmodern times. Building from an existential-integrative perspective, we propose Schneider's (1990) paradoxical self as a promising myth of self for postmodern times. The self maintained a secure, even sacred place throughout the history of Western thought. Despite widespread disagreement about what constituted the self and the essential nature of the self, few questioned its existence. Contemporary times challenged this privileged place of the self. Technology and pluralism brought metaphors of multiple selves. Postmodern analyses quickly followed questioning whether a singular, essential self was a healthy construction. The influence of Eastern thought, in particularly Buddhist philosophy, introduced the ideal of no-self. Cultural analyses provided examples of cultures which did not have a conception of the self. In the end, the necessity of a self conception, so basic to Western psychology, is now in question.

A Self Psychological Approach to Collaboration

Abstract: Though self psychologists frequently treat clients who also require pharmacotherapy, the contributions of self psychology to our understanding of the collaborative process have not been formally addressed in the literature. The author presents an in-depth clinical illustration of how two self psychologists successfully collaborated in treating a severely bipolar woman. The case also demonstrates the importance of integrating depth psychological analytic understanding with clinical social work practice, and highlights the crucial role of the empathic vantage point in facilitating effective collaboration.

Suicide in Psychoanalysis

Abstract: This article approaches suicide as a personal drama, which is believed to be best understood and relieved by psychoanalysis. In the article, the phenomenon of suicide is examined through the lenses of some major conceptual frameworks within the psychoanalytic tradition, including classic Freudian views and their early revisions as presented in the writings of M. Klein, K. Horney and others, and the more contemporary psychodynamic theories, such as British object relations, self psychology and the Lacanian perspective. The discussion is completed by a case study of an acutely suicidal psychotic adolescent whose story is related by Joanne Greenberg in her autobiographic novel I Never Promised You A Rose Garden and in the movie based on it.

Self, Psychology of

Abstract: Social psychology of self is the study of structures and processes through which people know and evaluate themselves, present themselves to others, and exert control. Keywords: self esteem; self concept; self regulation

A good woman : silencing the self, rumination and depression in romantic relationships

Abstract: 11

Commentary: On Livingston and Livingston

Abstract: (2006). Commentary: On Livingston and Livingston. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy: Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 87-92.

New Applications of Self Psychology to Group Psychotherapy: Introduction

Abstract: Over the last 15 years, many writers have applied self psychology to group treatment. Arensberg’s (1990) work, one of the most comprehensive, extends Kohut’s (1971) concept of selfobject tranferences to the group setting and discusses their unfolding and working through in group therapy. There are now several core works that focus on dealing therapeutically with these transferences and other group processes from a self psychological perspective, including Stone and Whitman’s (1980) and Shapiro’s (1991) papers on the role of empathy in the creation of safety in the deepening of the group therapy process, Bacal’s (1991) exposition on “responsiveness and reactiveness” in groups, and my own contributions that stress underlying vulnerability (Livingston, 1999, 2001). The more recent literature contains collections of papers devoted to a wide range of applications of self psychology to group therapy (Livingston & Harwood, 2001; Harwood & Pines, 1998; Segalla, 2003). This Special Section of the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy represents the latest thoughts on the application of self psychology to group treatment. Four papers by leading authors in this area are offered: Irene Harwood integrates new ideas from recent work in infant observation studies, attachment research, trauma, and neurobiology and illustrates the application of these theoretical and empirical contributions to the

Empathy and Healing in a Methodist Ecclesial Context

Abstract: Healing can occur in a Methodist ecclesial context through empathy. After discussing an example of John Wesley's pastoral care using the case of Elizabeth Hobson, two questions are addressed from a self-psychological perspective: What is empathy? and How does it heal? Contrasted with sympathy, countertransference, and anxiety, empathy emerges as the process that enables relationships of greater depth and scope. Empathy heals by providing an environment free of undue anxiety, enabling insight, promoting more satisfying interpersonal relationships, and yoking with the person of the therapist who is in turn yoked with God. Theologically empathy heals because it is an interpersonal incarnation of grace.