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Though he initially tried to remain true to the traditional analytic viewpoint with which he had become associated and viewed the self as separate but coexistent to the ego, Kohut later rejected Freud's structural theory of the id, ego, and superego. He then developed his ideas around what he called the tripartite (three-part) self.
In his book, Kohut deals with a new category of patients, those suffering from narcissistic personality disorders, or at least this was a group of patients that had previously not been treated within psychoanalysis but which were now seen in a different light. [3] Kohut's work is divided into three parts, with a separate introductory chapter.
The book is largely a dialogue with Freud, and Kohut ignores most other writers. According to Strozier, Kohut "remains in constant dialogue—and disagreement—with the master" [i.e. Freud]. Restoration is in this sense a meditation on Freud, even though, Kohut argues, he is no longer a relevant thinker, neither historically, conceptually ...
Kohut explained, in 1977, that in all he wrote on the psychology of the self, he purposely did not define the self. He explained his reasoning this way: "The self...is, like all reality...not knowable in its essence...We can describe the various cohesive forms in which the self appears, can demonstrate the several constituents that make up the self ... and explain their genesis and functions.
Healthy narcissism was first conceptualized by Heinz Kohut, who used the descriptor "normal narcissism" and "normal narcissistic entitlement" to describe children's psychological development. [1] [20] Kohut's research showed that if early narcissistic needs could be adequately met, the individual would move on to what he called a "mature form ...
An extension of Freud's theory of narcissism came when Heinz Kohut presented the so-called "self-object transferences" of idealization and mirroring.To Kohut, idealization in childhood is a healthy mechanism.
Freud's theory of psychosexual development is represented amongst five stages. According to Freud, each stage occurs within a specific time frame of one's life. If one becomes fixated in any of the five stages, he or she will develop personality traits that coincide with the specific stage and its focus.
Kohut had a significant impact on the field by extending Freud's theory of narcissism and introducing what he called the 'self-object transferences' of mirroring and idealization. In other words, children need to idealize and emotionally "sink into" and identify with the idealized competence of admired figures such as parents or older siblings.