302: Developments in Concepts of the Self and Narcissism
Instructors
Anna Balas, M.D.
Anna Miari, M.D.
November 8, 2023 – March 13, 2024
Wednesdays, 8:35 – 10:00 pm
No class: 11/22, 12/20, 12/27, 2/7
Co-requisites
Candidates must have or have had at least two cases in supervised psychoanalysis to be eligible for upper level courses.
Course Description
Starting with the literary example of Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice, our course covers the evolution of psychoanalytic theory regarding the concepts “narcissism” and the “self”. We study Freud’s “On Narcissism”, followed by structural and ego psychological concepts of narcissism, up to more recent analytic contributions in the field of self psychology. We read Edith Jacobson’s Self in the Object World, with its developmental point of view, Winnicott, Self Psychology, especially the work of Kohut, and various other analytic theoretical perspectives, including the work of Ferenczi, Balint, Annie Reich, Kernberg and William Grossman. We cover both theoretical and clinical concepts with case examples and discussion of technical approaches to the treatment of narcissistic phenomena.
Candidates must be prepared to discuss the reading each week with a particular focus on the contrasts and new theoretical developments that each new set of readings brings in comparison to the previous readings. This should include a discussion of what theoretical problem the author is attempting to solve by the new perspective. Candidates are also encouraged to relate the readings to their clinical work and to bring in vignettes that they feel are illustrative of the theoretical concepts.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
Evaluation Method
Each student’s participation in class discussion and his or her demonstration of understanding of the course objectives and reading material is assessed in a written evaluation by the instructor(s).
These articles are protected under relevant copyright regulations. They are available in the New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute Electronic Reserve for your convenience, and for your personal use.
READINGS ARE CONFIRMED.
I. Introduction and discussion of concepts and goals of course
CLASS 1: November 8, 2023
We will use the lead character of Death in Venice, Aschenbach, to illustrate and think about the nature of human issues that are subsumed under the terms “narcissism” and “self” as well as to discuss what specific theoretical and clinical problems psychoanalytic theory about these concepts has been attempting to explain. It is hoped that this initial discussion can address the historical context of theories we will be studying in more depth, such that each individual reading can be viewed critically in relation to the whole.
The fundamental questions that should inform and direct all our readings are:
1) what particular issues of human development, psychology and pathology are these theories attempting to explain
2) what, if any, shortcomings of each theoretical advancement are then addressed by the next theoretical proposal?
We may come back to Thomas Mann’s poor Aschenbach repeatedly in the course, so it is important that you give Death in Venice a close reading. (It is also a great (re) read).
We also recommend watching the movie Death in Venice by Luchino Visconti (1971).
REQUIRED READINGS
Mann, T. “Death in Venice”, Translation by Heim M.H., Introduction by Michael Cunningham. Harper Collins Books, 2004 (paperback ed. 2005) (Students to purchase book.)
Freud, S. (1911) Formulations regarding the two principles in mental functioning S.E 12: 215-226.
Freud, S. (1913) Totem and Taboo (sections II and III) S.E. 13: 85–89
Entry on Narcissism. In: Auchincloss E., and Samberg E. (2012). Psychoanalytic Terms and Concepts. Yale University Press, pp 162-167
SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS
Cooper, A. M. (1986) Narcissism in Essential Papers on Narcissism, Andrew P. Morrison Editor, pp. 112-143. (The entire volume is worth perusing) New York University Press
Kohut, H. (1957). ‘Death in Venice’ by Thomas Mann—A Story about the Disintegration of Artistic Sublimation. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 26:206-228.
Narcissism: The Term and the Concept. Sydney E. Pulver, in: Essential Papers on Narcissism. New York University Press, 1986: 91-111.
II. Freud’s “On Narcissism”
CLASS 2: November 15, 2023
We will study Freud’s “On Narcissism” in depth, with a particular focus on its location in the evolution of his thought, its historical and theoretical significance and the major pathways it opened up for further theoretical development. What do you think Freud would consider the “self” to be at this stage of his thinking?
REQUIRED READINGS
Freud, S. (1914) On Narcissism: An Introduction S.E. 14: 69-102.
SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS
Makari, G. (2008). Revolution in mind: The creation of psychoanalysis. New York: HarperCollins. [Read Chapters 7 and 8 pp 239-319] (Students have received copy of the book.)
Freud’s “On Narcissism: An Introduction”(1991) Edited by Joseph Sandler. Contemporary Freud: Turning Points and Critical Issues. Yale University Press. (Preface, VII-XX recommended.)
III. Further development of Freud’s theories
CLASS 3: November 29, 2023
We will follow the further development of Freud’s theories as he applies his thoughts about narcissistic libido and object libido to the process of mourning and to superego metapsychology.
1) How does the Structural theory alter the previous theory of narcissism and how does it relate to the future evolving theory of self?
2) What differences in theories do we see in the 1917 paper compared to his 1914 paper?
3) How do we relate Freud’s ideas about mourning to clinical situations which we might encounter and how do we compare his ideas to normal mourning?
We will wrap up our Freud readings with a discussion of the fate of his concepts regarding narcissism, both primary and secondary, and contrast narcissistic versus object libido as developed in his fuller structural theory. Questions to consider here:
1) Are his 1914 theories totally superseded by his 1923 theory?
2) To what extent, if at all, do Freud’s evolving ideas predict future theories of the self?
REQUIRED READINGS
Freud, S. (1917) Mourning and Melancholia S.E. 14:237-258.
Freud, S. (1921) Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego S.E. 18:105-116; 129-133.
Freud, S. (1923) The Ego and the Id S.E. 19:28-39.
IV. Annie Reich and Edith Jacobson
CLASS 4: December 6, 2023
Annie Reich and Edith Jacobson were friends and members of a radical political and analytic group in Berlin in the years leading to the WWII. When they arrived at the NYPSI in 1938, ego psychology and the structural theory dominated. They both were interested in applying analytic theory to the therapy of more severely ill patients, and in particular were interested in non-psychotic narcissistic pathology. We will spend the next three sessions exploring their contributions, both the clinical contributions of Reich and the far-reaching theoretical innovations and integrations that characterize Edith Jacobson’s work.
Edith Jacobson both revised Freud’s work on narcissism and introduced important developmental and object relations perspectives to ego psychology. It will be important for us to think about the influence of Jacobson in facilitating the move from a one person to a two person psychology, and facilitating the elaboration of the concept of self esteem, the ego ideal and the self-representation, object representation and identification.
REQUIRED READINGS
Reich, A. (1960). Pathological Forms of Self-Esteem Regulation, Psychoanalytic Study Child, 15:215-232. Also in: Psychoanalytic Contributions, pp. 288-311.
Jacobson, E. (1964). The Self and the Object World. New York: IUP. [Read pp ix-xiii, Chapters 1-2, pp.3-32]
SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS
Deutsch, H. (1942). Some forms of emotional disturbance and their relationship to schizophrenia, Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 11: 301-321.
Fotopoulou, A. & Tsakiris, M. (2017). Mentalizing homeostasis: The social origins of interoceptive inference. Neuropsychoanalysis, 19:3-28.
V. Edith Jacobson
CLASS 5: December 13, 2023
REQUIRED READINGS
Jacobson, E. (1964). The Self and the Object World. New York: IUP. [Read Chapters 3, 4 (pp.33-69) and 6 (pp. 89-108)]
VI. Edith Jacobson continued
CLASS 6: January 3, 2023
REQUIRED READINGS
Morrison, A. P. (1994). The Breadth and Boundaries of a Self-Psychological Immersion in Shame: A One-and-a-Half-Person Perspective. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 4:19-35.
Jacobson, E. (1964). The Self and the Object World. New York: IUP. [Read Chapter 7, 8 (pp. 109-135), Chapter 9 (pp. 142-155), Chapter 12 (207-top 214: case reports)]
SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS
The rest of the volume
VII. Contributions of Ferenczi’s and Balint’s work to contemporary psychoanalysis
CLASS 7: January 10, 2023
We will discuss the contributions of Ferenczi’s and Balint’s work to contemporary psychoanalysis, particularly in terms of their role as the precursors of object-relations schools, in understanding difficult patients and their extensions of psychoanalytic technique.
REQUIRED READINGS
Balint, M. (1968). The Basic Fault: Therapeutic Aspects of Regression. London: Tavistock Publications. [Read introduction, pp.viii-xxiii, 64-72, 79-89]
REVIEW: Ferenczi, S. (1949). Confusion of the Tongues Between the Adults and the Child—(The Language of Tenderness and of Passion). International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 30:225-230.
Ferenczi, S. (1913). Stages in the Development of a Sense of Reality. In Sex in Psychoanalysis. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1940, pp 213-239
SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS
Ferenczi, S., & Dupont, J. (1988). The clinical diary of Sándor Ferenczi. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
VIII. Winnicott’s developmental point of view
CLASS 8: January 17, 2023
We will discuss Winnicott’s developmental point of view and his somewhat unique formulations which provided new ways of looking at some aspects of narcissism. Here we will focus on his ideas about the emergence of the “self” in relation to the object. His work is important for both object relations school and self psychology.
1) How would you compare Winnicott’s “The Use of the Object” to Freud’s anaclitic type of attachment?
(If you have read these papers before, just review them for our current discussion in the context of the theme of narcissism.)
REQUIRED READINGS
Winnicott, D. Creative Activity and the Search for the Self, in Playing and Reality, pp. 53-64.
Winnicott, D. W. (1958). The Capacity to be Alone. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 39:416-420.
Winnicott, D. (1960). Ego Distortions in Terms of the True and False Self. In: The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment (pp. 140-152). New York: IUP.
Winnicott, D. (1968). The Use of an Object and Relating Through Identification. In: Playing and Reality, pp. 86-94.
IX. Self Psychology I
The next three classes will be dedicated to the concepts related to Self Psychology.
CLASS 9: January 24, 2024
REQUIRED READINGS
Kohut, H., Goldberg, A., & Stepansky, P. E. (1984). The Selfobject Transferences and Interpretation. In: How does analysis cure?. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Leider, R. (1995). The Psychology of the Self (Self Psychology). In E. Nersessian and R. Kopff (Eds.), Textbook of Psychoanalysis (pp. 127-164). New York, NY: American Psychiatric Press.
SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS
Ornstein, A., and Paul H. (2015) Why Kohut’s Ideas Will Endure, Self Psychology and the Practice of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies, Lecture: White Institute, January 13, 2015
X. Self Psychology II
CLASS 10: January 31, 2024
REQUIRED READINGS
Kohut, H. (1971). Some reactions of the Analyst to the Mirror Transference. In The Analysis of the Self (pp. 270-295). New York: International Universities Press.
Miller, J.P. (1985). How Kohut Actually Worked. Progress in Self Psychology, 1:13-30.
SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS
Wolf, E. S. (1984). Disruptions in the Psychoanalytic Treatment of Disorders of the Self. In P.E. Stepansky and B A. Goldberg (Eds.), Kohut’s Legacy (pp. 143-156). Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic Press.
XI. Self Psychology III
CLASS 11: February 14, 2024
REQUIRED READINGS
Kohut, H. (1972). Thoughts on Narcissism and Narcissistic Rage. Psychoanal. St. Child, 27:360-400.
Mitchell, S. A. (1986). The Wings of Icarus:—Illusion and the Problem of Narcissism. Contemporary Psychoanalysis, 22:107-132.
XII. Contribution of Object Relations Theory on the Concept of Narcissism
CLASS 12: February 21, 2024
REQUIRED READINGS
Kernberg, O. F. (1970). Factors in the Psychoanalytic Treatment of Narcissistic Personalities. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 18:51-85.
SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS
Caligor, E., Levy, K. N., & Yeomans, F. E. (2015). Narcissistic personality disorder: Diagnostic and clinical challenges. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 172(5), 415–422.
XIII. Discussion with Don Carveth, PhD on Superego, Conscience and the Narcissism in our Times
CLASS 13: February 28, 2024
REQUIRED READINGS
Carveth, D. (2023). Marching “Under the Banner of the Superego”: Notes on “the Mania for Reproaching”. (unpublished).
XIV. Narcissism and Masochism
CLASS 14: March 6, 2024
REQUIRED READINGS
Cooper, A (1988) “The Narcissistic-Masochistic Character” in The Quiet Revolution in American Psychoanalysis, Selected Papers of Arnold M. Cooper, The New Library of Psychoanalysis, pp. 121-139.
Cooper, A . (1984) “The Unusually Painful Analysis”, in The Quiet Revolution in American Psychoanalysis, Selected Papers of Arnold M. Cooper, The New Library of Psychoanalysis, pp. 140-149.
Stolorow, R. D. (1975). The Narcissistic Function of Masochism (And Sadism). International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 56:441-448.
SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS
Phillips, S. H. (2018). “Creating a Selfish Bitch”: Between Narcissism and Object Relations. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 66:1125-1139.
XV. On Shame
CLASS 15: March 13, 2024
REQUIRED READINGS
Carr, E. M. (1999). Wounded But Still Walking: One Man’s Effort to Move Out of Shame. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 19:289-308.
Pulver, S. E. (1999). Shame and Guilt: A Synthesis. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 19:388-406.
Wurmser, L. (1999). Trauma, Shame Conflicts, and Affect Regression: Discussion of “Wounded But Still Walking”. Psychoanal. Inq., 19:309-319.