Relationalizing Self Psychology:Commentary on Magid, Fosshage and Shane’s The Emerging Paradigm of Relational Self Psychology: An Historical Perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT This commentary aims at reflecting upon and contextualizing the emergence of relational self psychology and considers how it continues to transform our theoretical and clinical landscapes. It underscores, first, the phenomena of self organization and emergence (of new perspectives and sensibilities) witnessed in our field in general, given that the arena of psychoanalytic self psychology has always been a complex system in its own right. It then addresses the concept of the self, which is rendered increasingly ephemeral, fluid, dynamic, and non-entity-like. And finally, it explores the relationalizing of self psychology, including not only accepting the personhood of the analyst and the bidirectionality of the two analytic participants, but relying upon them as central to therapeutic action.