Progress in Self Psychology, V. 12

Chapter 5
The Philosophical Importance of Kohut's Bipolar Theory of the Self
John H. Riker

 

Although Kohut's bipolar theory of the self has received voluminous critical attention as a clinical hypothesis that illuminates a particular set of psychological disorders and has been subjected to some philosophical reflection (see especially Detrick and Detrick, 1990), it has not received a full critical examination as a theory of the self independently of its clinical functions. What follows is an attempt to show how Kohut's theory of the self intersects with a number of the most important theories of the self in Western thought, relates to their vocabularies, incorporates a number of their profoundest insights, and helps solve some ...