Psychoanalysis Through the Lens of Narcissism

This critical historical review of psychoanalytic theory and practice reflects on the place of psychoanalysis in contemporary Western culture in light of its preoccupation with the self and associated failure to emphasize the role of close interpersonal relationships as central to the human psyche. The elusive presence of the separate other in psychoanalytic theory is discussed vis-à-vis the life stories of Freud, Winnicott, and Kohut. The underlying narcissistic bias in the theories of these th