Teaching and the Psychology of the Self

Abstract

Relatively few attempts have been made to understand teaching and the teacher role from a psychoanalytic perspective. Work which has applied a psychoanalytic framework to teaching has generally portrayed the teaching act rather unfavorably as regressive, exhibitionistic, and dysfunctionally controlling. This earlier work also has not resulted in further conceptualization or research. This article presents a summary of Kohut's recent formulations concerning the "psychology of the self," and on the basis of this work it is suggested that earlier approaches to understanding teaching have been biased by classical psychoanalysis which assumes the superiority of postoedipal relationships. Building on Kohut's conception of the creative individual who possesses a psychic and behavioral fluidity, and on the work of others, a model of self-development for the teacher is proposed. The dimensions of creativity, empathy, humor, and wisdom, developed through interaction with students, are highlighted as essential avenues for continued growth of the teacher's personal and professional self.