Contemporary perspectives on self: Toward an integration

Abstract

Formulations concerning self have been a predominant concern of psychoanalytic theorizing over the past several decades; many different definitions have been employed, and many different perspectives explored. Despite the diversity of definitions and multiplicity of approaches, certain consistent themes and concerns have characterized postclassical theorizing and mark their difference from classical psychoanalysis. This article explores the view of the self as multiplex and discontinuous, as developed in both object relations theories and in interpersonal psychoanalysis. This approach to self is contrasted and interfaced with the view of the self as continuous and integral, as developed within self psychology.