Exclusivity and narcissism

Psychology of the Self in the Works of Jung and Kohut

Author's name: Mario Jacobi

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Recent developments in Freudian psychoanalysis, particularly the works of Kohut and Winnicott, have led to a convergence with Jung's position. Individuation and Narcissism attempts to overcome the doctrinal differences between the various schools of depth psychology, taking into account the distinctive approaches of each. By closely examining the actual experience of the self, the process of individuation, narcissism, and narcissistic personality disorder, the author demonstrates the importance of cross-fertilization of the ideas and techniques of the professional analyst. Mario Jacobi examines the origins of the Narcissus myth and attempts to interpret it from a Jungian perspective. He traces the effects of the dispute between Freud and Jung over the instinct theory and compares the schools that developed this theory. He finds the similarities between the works of Winnicott and Kohut and those of Jung somewhat ambiguous, due to the language each developed to express their theories.