Self object heinz kohut biography

Austrian-American psychiatrist (1913–1981)

Heinz Kohut (May 3, 1913 – October 8, 1981) was a Jewish Austrian-born American psychoanalyst best known for his development of self psychology, an influential school of thought within psychodynamic/psychoanalytic theory which helped transform the modern practice of analytic and dynamic treatment approaches.

Early life

Kohut was born on May 3, 1913, in Vienna, Austria, to Felix Kohut and Else Kohut (née Lampl). He was the only child of the family. Kohut's parents were assimilated Jews living in Alsergrund, or the Ninth District, who had married two years earlier.

Self object heinz kohut biography

His father was an aspiring concert pianist, but abandoned his dreams having been traumatized by his experiences in World War I and moved into business with Paul Bellak. His mother opened her own shop sometime after the war, something that few women did at that time in Vienna.

Else's relationship with her son has been described as "narcissistic enmeshment