ABSTRACT
The 50 years since Kohut's classic 1959 paper "Introspection, Empathy, and Psychoanalysis" have witnessed widespread changes in psychoanalytic theory and practice. In particular, the emergence of what has become known as "Relational Psychoanalysis" has attracted the attention of many "second-generation" self psychologists. In my own city, a leading local self psychological professional organization devoted their 2000 annual conference, at members' request, to a day with a prominent Relational theorist. And this organization is devoting much of the 2002-2003 programming year to the issue of clarifying the distinction between relational psychoanalysis and a "relational" self psychology. This distinction has become increasingly relevant to self psychologists seeking to move from a "one-body" approach to treatment toward a "two-body," "relational," theory of reciprocal engagement, but one that retains Kohut's innovations in regard to such issues as consistent vicarious introspection, the paradigm of "repeated relationships" (Stern, 1994, p. 318), and the nature of aggression. A reconsideration of Kohut's seminal paper provides both a starting point for thinking about clinical process and a touchstone for self psychologists seeking to locate themselves in the contemporary landscape of psychoanalytic thinking.
