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Heinz Kohut's Understanding of Personality and Christian Counseling

  • Journal of Counseling and Gospel
  • Abbr : Jocag
  • 2013, 20(), pp.9-35
  • DOI : 10.17841/jocag.2013.20..9
  • Publisher : Korean Evangelical Counseling Society
  • Research Area : Humanities > Christian Theology > Pastoral Counseling
  • Received : April 15, 2013
  • Accepted : May 4, 2013

Kim, Jun 1

1총신대학교

Candidate

ABSTRACT

This article examines the relatedness and limitations of Heinz Kohut's Self Psychology, an influential psychoanalytical theory, and its understanding of human nature in relation to Christian Counseling. The way to understand human personality tends to decide theories and practices of counseling. Christian counseling ought to uses Christian concepts of person, but often borrows the concepts of psychological theories on human personality as well. Yet, there is inevitable tension between Christianity and Psychology in using both views for Christian counseling, and this study is an attempt to interpret and assess Kohut's understanding on person in the light of Christian counseling. Specifically, this study first points out that biblical understanding of person is based on the notion that person is created in the image of God, which implies that people are relational being and sinners as well. Then it claims that Kohut's theory confirms this implication and describes people's limitedness as sinners by noting Kohut's contributions to explain the meaning of self, development of self, and self centeredness of self in the light of relational dimensions. However, the study claims that Kohut's emphasis on self is not in accordance with Christian understanding. The study argues that Donald Capps' use of self psychology in interpreting the Bible could be harmful to Christianity. Finally, this article concludes by suggesting a qualitative case study that examines relationship between Christian counseling and self psychology in future.

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