THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SELF AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNSELING: THE COMPLEMENTARY CONTRIBUTIONS OF HEINZ KOHUT AND CARL ROGERS

Based on Carl Rogers' person-centered theory and Heinz Kohut's self psychology, this study investigates the complementary nature of these theoretical formulations. With the development of the self as the central theme, the main purpose is to provide an adequate conception of self and a more thorough understanding of its healthy development, both as it occurs normally in childhood or belatedly through formal therapy or other therapeutic relationships.; Person-centered theory and self psychology are examined and compared with one another. The major similarities and differences between them and the strengths and weaknesses of each are discussed. Their similarities include such areas as a focus on self as the touchstone for mental health, a belief in innate self potential, an emphasis on subjective experience and its role in the development of self, the importance and use of empathy, the process of self-reintegration, the prescribed therapeutic atmosphere, and the therapist's attitudes and ways of being. Though Rogers and Kohut do not have identical foci in their work, nor agree totally on these and other issues, the nature and extent of their similarities strongly suggest the complementary use of their theories for counselor education and practice.; This study develops an integration of critical elements of Rogers' and Kohut's formulations. The result is movement toward a more adequate theory of self, combining the experiential and structural components of Kohut's concept with Rogers' work on subjective experience. It also shows how self psychology can provide person-centered theory with a viable and much-needed developmental interpretation of self, and a more comprehensive understanding and explanation of self development and the process of self-reintegration. Theoretical and applied implications of this study for counselor educators and counseling psychologists are presented in order to stimulate future research in the areas of self development and the healing process of self-restoration.