Self-psychology is associated with which theorist?

• A. Heinz Kohut
• B. Carl Rogers
• C. Victor Frankl
• D. Adler

Answer: (A)

Self-psychology centers on how a person’s sense of self is formed and kept cohesive through emotionally responsive relationships with others. Heinz Kohut developed this approach, introducing ideas like the selfobject—other people who help meet self-esteem and cohesion—and mechanisms such as mirroring (validation of one’s qualities), idealization (identification with a trusted figure), and twinship (a sense of nearby sameness or belonging with others). Therapy aims to restore a stable, integrated self by fostering empathic attunement and reworking the way self-objects support the person’s self-cohesion. The other names represent different theoretical traditions: Carl Rogers emphasizes client-centered therapy and unconditional positive regard; Viktor Frankl focuses on meaning through existential analysis; Alfred Adler centers on striving for significance and social interest. Because Kohut’s framework uniquely centers the self and its relational needs, self-psychology is associated with Heinz Kohut.