Perceptual deficits and self-esteem in adolescence

This paper attempts to conceptualize the dynamics of selfesteem in an adolescent suffering from a perceptual deficit. The interrelationship between the deficit and the development of self-esteem is discussed from two points of view, that of traditional ego psychology and that of the psychology of the self. In the case illustration given, the treatment methods were heavily influenced by the work of Heinz Kohut and by the insights provided by his psychology of the self.     

A self psychological study of dehumanization in Eugene O'Neill'sThe Hairy Ape

Experiences of isolation, alienation, and self-fragmentation have been expressed by literary artists throughout this century. Many of the plays of Eugene O'Neill depict human suffering in these terms. Applying the constructs of self psychology, particularly those relating to selfobjects and the selfobject milieu, these experiences in O'Neill's plays can be described as shifts in self-cohesiveness. O'Neill'sThe Hairy Ape depicts a man with a fragile sense of self who suffers a disruption of the selfobject milieu which had sustained him. As a consequence of this change in his social embeddedness, the character Yank experiences a sense of fragmentation and ultimately feels that he does not belong to the human race. The play depicts in a powerful way the necessity of a selfobject milieu in sustaining one's sense of self.     

Parenting Practices,Autonomous Motivation,and Adolescent Diet Habits

Guided by self‐determination theory, the aim of this study was to examine whether adolescents’ autonomous motivation for making healthy diet choices mediates the association between parenting practices regarding diet and adolescent food choices. We analyzed data from the NCI FLASHE study, a survey of demographically diverse parents and their adolescent children (N = 1,646 dyads). Path models supported self‐determination theory’s assertion that indirect, encouraging parenting practices fostered internal motivation; in contrast, regulation was both positively and negatively linked to motivation depending on the model. Models also yielded direct paths between parenting practices and healthy and unhealthy diet choices. Overall, regardless of what predicted motivation, adolescents’ autonomous motivation was linked with their consumption of healthier foods and drinks. As such, cultivating a sense of internal motivation during these formative years may put young people on a path toward healthy patterns of self‐regulation later in life.     

The Blancks' and Kohut's views of narcissism: Comparative analysis

The normal and pathological development of narcissism is reviewed from two different theoretical orientations. Presented are the ideas of Blanck and Blanck (ego psychology) and that of Kohut (self psychology). Included are clinical vignettes illustrative of the ego and self psychology approaches. A comparative analysis is drawn, highlighting the likenesses and differences with regard to theory and practice. Considered are the developmental stages and failures, as well as transference, resistance, and technique. The area of greatest contrast is noted in their theoretical formulations regarding the development of narcissism while the clinical approach to the treatment of narcissism is less striking     

Adolescent dual unity: Identification and differentiation in development and in treatment

This article traces the vicissitudes of identity formation beginning with the mother-infant dyad described originally by Mahler as a dual unity. The complementarity of early development and reenactments of conflict in the transference relationship with the young adolescent, who is simultaneously merging, separating, and individuating, are highlighted in an extended case discussion of the multiple meanings inherent in a fourteen-year-old's symptomatic stealing behavior. The author suggests that communication based on self psychology principles, applied to this age group's normative narcissistic preoccupations, will enhance the therapeutic alliance.     

Reading self‐help literature in Russia: governmentality,psychology and subjectivity

Self‐help has become a booming business over the past decades and an increasingly visible part of popular media culture worldwide. The paper analyzes the arrival and effects of this cultural technology in post‐Soviet Russia after more than seventy years of socialism. It examines how Russians are engaging with popular psychology self‐help as a technology of the self and how they are making it meaningful in their lives. Drawing on a set of one‐to‐one and focus group interviews conducted with self‐help readers, it examines how these individuals negotiate the new ethics and the normative models of personhood put forward by the self‐help genre. It argues that popular psychology has offered a new language for making sense of the self and the social world, and highlights how the readers critically engage with the normalizing power of popular psychology by drawing on a number of local historically sedimented discourses.     

Kohut's tragic man: An example from “death of a salesman”

Willy Loman, the tragic hero of Miller'sDeath of a Salesman, powerfully illustrates self psychology principles governing profound deficits, shame, and the possibilities of self-restoration. When conditions of birth and upbringing are unsuited to establishment of a strong self structure, an adult is unable to maintain psychological equilibrium, most often experiencing profound shame as a consequence. Heinz Kohut's self psychology framework, and Andrew Morrison's definition of shame, are invoked to examine Willy's self, his increasing awareness of shame, and ultimately his choice of suicide. Willy Loman serves as a dramatic, if hypothetical, case study. Accurately described by self psychology, he is authentic to the lay audience; he reaffirms an inherent strength in self psychology theory, reducing the distance between theoretical appreciation and clinical application.     

Infant development and the sense of self: Stern VS. Mahler

Recent research into infant development and the development of the sense of self appears to contradict Mahler's theory of separation-individuation. The author proposes that these theories are not as divergent as first appears. Discerning shared features of these theories should prove clinically relevant and will enhance the social work clinician's understanding of early development and its relation to adult psychopathology.     

Orthodoxy and heresy in self psychology: A Heretic's perspective

This paper discusses a trend in self psychology toward the establishment of a somewhat rigid orthodoxy. The conceptual problems that such a stance raises, such as the role of empathy in the treatment process and the incompatibility that this presents with the current self psychological view of the etiology of psychopathology, are discussed. The relationship of self psychology to existential theory is highlighted and a more open stance is advocated regarding divergent theorizing within the model.     

Rethinking Girls “At-Risk”

Abstract

This conceptual article critically analyzes influential theoretical frameworks concerning adolescent female development, including psychosocial identity stage theory, person-in-environment theory, and feminist psychology. Based on the strengths and limitations of these approaches, the author introduces social workers to an emerging framework that addresses the gender, race, and class intersections that contextualize adolescent girls' developmental experiences. This perspective also discusses young women's capacity to resist norms and stereotypes in their search for an authentic identity. This innovative theory complements a strengths-based approach to social work and can be used to guide research andpractice with this population.     

Facilitating Social Growth: Collaboration Between School and Therapist

A case is presented which illustrates how a youngster makes use of a long therapeutic relationship to move from isolated, withdrawn behavior in elementary school to participation in an after school drama group in middle school. The material reflects the close collaboration of the therapist with the child's teachers and the gradual strengthening of the youngster's sense of self within this matrix. The case is discussed in the frame of self psychology.     

Is Self‐Compassion Selfish? The Development of Self‐Compassion,Empathy, and Prosocial Behavior in Adolescence

Both self‐compassion and empathy have been theorized to promote prosociality in youth, but there is little longitudinal data examining this possibility. We assessed self‐compassion, empathy, and peer‐rated prosociality yearly, in a cohort of 2,078 youth across 17 schools (M age at T1 = 14.65 years; 49.2% female), as they progressed from Grade 9–12. We utilized multi‐level modeling to predict prosocial behavior, nested within students, classes, and schools. We found that self‐compassion and empathy uniquely predicted peer‐rated prosocial behavior. However, only empathy predicted increases in prosocial behavior across time. While self‐compassion is not selfish, it does not appear to facilitate the development of kindness toward adolescent peers. Self‐compassion may help to buffer against possible negative effects of empathic distress.     

School Bullying as a Collective Action: Stigma Processes and Identity Struggling

The aim of this study was to investigate the collective action of bullying and its stigma processes and influences on identities. In accordance with interactionism, identity is a social process, constructed and reconstructed in everyday social interactions. Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in four school classes, investigating six bullying cases. Grounded theory methods were used to explore and analyse data. Co‐constructing differentness was found to be a core process in bullying. Bullying often appeared to function like a self‐serving and socially inclusive ritual in which the bullies co‐constructed the ‘normal us’. Loss of belonging, self‐deprecation and identity struggling followed closely upon the sense of becoming socially discredited. Victims were trapped in the collective action. The findings highlight the significance of addressing peer cultures and the social psychology of everyday school life in anti‐bullying policies and practices.     

Adolescent sexuality

The reader is offered a contemporary view of adolescent sexuality, which has evolved into new forms of sexual behavior, in response to current shifts of values and societal realities. The current phenomena of excalating sexually transmitted diseases and teen-age pregnancy and parenthood are examined. The recent developments in clinicians views about homosexuality and heterosexuality are also offered. A case of more optimal adolescent heterosexual activity is presented, depicting the accompanying self questioning, uncertainties, passions and inner musings, regarding a male adolescent's sense of self and self object choices.in private practice     

Parental and peer characteristics as modifiers of the bond-behavior relationship: an elaboration of control theory.

Three bonds are at the core of Hirschi's control theory: attachment to parents, commitment to conventional activities, and belief in the conventional rules of society. Control theory does not include parental and peer attitudes and behaviors, variables that frequently are implicated in adolescent behavior. This study examines whether parental and peer behaviors and attitudes modify bond/behavior relationships. Adolescent cigarette smoking is the behavior of interest. Panel data from a probability sample of 685 adolescents shows that the relationship between attachment and adolescent smoking is modified by parental smoking; the relationship between commitment to conventional activities and adolescent smoking is modified by father's smoking; but the relationship between belief in conventional rules and adolescent smoking is not modified by parental or peer variables. We conclude that control theory needs to encompass parental behavior when considering adolescent smoking behavior.     

The development and disturbance of emotions: An application of self psychology to clinical work with children

This article applies self psychology, as developed by Heinz Kohut, to clinical work with children. It begins with a brief summary of self psychology as a theoretical framework, focusing on the role of selfobjects in the development of the self. Then, the role of selfobjects in the development and disturbance of emotions is discussed. The paper concludes by describing the treatment implications of the self psychological perspective for clinical work with children, illustrating them through three case vignettes, and identifying certain questions for further inquiry.     

Integrative Symptom-Focused Dynamic Psychotherapy

The advent of the relational perspective in psychoanalytic theory has opened up exciting new prospects for integrative psychotherapy. My own integrative model draws on self psychology and attachment theory for ideas about development and treatment, but also posits the need for active techniques at times to help with troubling symptoms. In addition to using interventions from behavioral and cognitive behavioral traditions, my treatment approach has been evolving to include a variety of mindfulness based strategies. In this article I focus on interventions I use most often to help patients with two major domains: self regulation (which includes affect management and perspective on the self), and self-initiated behavior change. Case examples illustrating the interplay of symptom-focused work and more dynamic exploration are provided.     

The Role of School Contexts in Adolescents' Weight‐loss Behaviors and Self‐perceptions of Overweight

Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and multilevel modeling, this study investigates the role high school social contexts play in the development of adolescents' weight‐loss behaviors and overweight self‐perceptions. Overall, the results indicate that there is an important association between adolescents' weight‐loss behaviors and self‐perceptions of overweight and the weight‐related context of their school. For example, both adolescent boys and girls are less likely to engage in weight‐loss behaviors when overweight is prevalent among their same‐sex schoolmates. However, gender differences are also found. For example, while adolescent boys' self‐perceptions of overweight are significantly associated with their same‐sex schoolmates' characteristics and behaviors, this is not the case for adolescent girls. Overall, these findings suggest that meso‐level social contexts—such as schools—may be particularly important to how individuals incorporate macro‐level beliefs or values—such as gendered body ideals—into their own behaviors and self‐concepts.     

Challenges in Isolating the Effect of College Attainment and Debt Accumulation on Young Adult Self‐Concept

Prior studies have found college attendance to boost self‐esteem and mastery in young adults. Yet, college attendance itself is likely influenced by self‐esteem and mastery levels experienced in adolescence. And both are likely influenced by adolescent cognitive ability and academic achievement. Using data from the NLSY79‐YA, we illustrate the difficulties in isolating the positive effect of college on young adult self‐concept. First, we estimate adolescent self‐concept trajectories for respondents and analyze whether these trajectories are predictive of college attendance and degree attainment. Second, we assess whether the inclusion of adolescent self‐concept trajectories significantly reduces the beneficial effect of college on young adult self‐esteem and mastery. We also investigate the complex temporal relationship between adolescent characteristics, debt accumulation, and young adult self‐concept. Our findings show that the positive effects of college attainment and debt accumulation on young adult self‐concept are significantly reduced when measures of adolescent self‐concept and cognitive ability are included. These results imply that the benefit of going to college or acquiring debt may be overstated when adolescent characteristics are not taken into consideration.     

An example of preverbal determinants in a classical analysis

Ego psychology adds a valuable dimension to classical psychoanalytic theory and technique by illuminating some of the factors that shape the development of self and object representations. Insight into identity formation can, in some cases, uncover preverbal determinants that create obstacles to oedipal resolution. This is illustrated in an analytic case that reached an impasse during the termination phase, which was resolved when the preverbal component of this resistance was recognized and interpreted.