A Small Contribution

M. David Liberman, PhD

I was both surprised and honored at being asked to take over as moderator of the Self Psychology Workshop. It was particularly meaningful to me because Self Psychology was probably the main reason for my interest in psychoanalysis. In Kohut's ideas, I saw an approach, which was both experiential and humane. It all seemed so promising. Now, however, I am not quite as confident about our future. It seems that more and more frequently, Self Psychology is becoming footnoted and marginalized.

The momentum of any idea depends on the efforts of those who believe in it. If Self Psychology is going to continue to grow and to be a vital force in psychoanalysis, then all of us have to play a part. Each of us can make a contribution, no matter how small. For example, last summer, after I gave a talk on Self Psychology to a graduate psychology class, a number of the students put in a petition asking that a course be offered. I'm now teaching that course and I'm finding that the students are hungry to know more about Kohut. Last spring, I did a free consultation with the administrative staff of a Senior Center. A problem had developed between the staff and some of the Center's members and the administrator of the center asked me if I could help. I suggested a Self Psychological understanding of the difficulty. Later, I was told that this Self Psychological perspective had helped the staff to move past their feelings and to formulate a solution that resolved the conflict. A few of the staff asked me for suggestions on what to read and where to go to learn more about Self Psychology.

These are all very small things but these are the kinds of things that can be done by anyone. Each of us can do something: Writing papers, giving talks, teaching or consulting. In most of the graduate programs where I've taught, there has been little, if any, understanding of Self Psychology. In the public school systems the teachers, counselors and administrators generally have no idea of what Self Psychology is or has to offer. The need is there and the potential venues are endless. Whatever it might be, we now need each of us to do something to make Self Psychology more widely known. Ideas are nurtured and spread thru the small contributions of many.

We have had a generation of analysts to look up to. These were the men and women who knew and worked with Kohut. They have been our teachers and supervisors and the theoreticians whose work developed Self Psychology. Now, it is up to all of us to see that their work continues. I'm afraid that if we do not meet this challenge, then Self Psychology could become merely a footnote to the other and newer schools of analysis or simply an interesting anomaly in the history of psychoanalysis. Each of us can make a difference and all of us need to find a way to be involved.

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