Vulnerability, Tenderness, and the Experience of Selfobject Relationship: A Self Psychological View of Deepening Curative Process in Group Psychotherapy

A focus on patients' self-experiences and narcissistic vulnerability can enhance the deepening of curative process. From a self psychological view, deepening the therapeutic process means that, through the analyst's empathic immersion in the patient's subjective view, earlier and earl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of group psychotherapy 1999-01, Vol.49 (1), p.19-40
Main Author: Livingston, Martin S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Group psychotherapy
Humans
Medical sciences
Narcissism
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychotherapeutic Processes
Psychotherapies. Psychological and clinical counseling
Psychotherapy, Group - methods
Self Psychology
Treatments
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Summary:A focus on patients' self-experiences and narcissistic vulnerability can enhance the deepening of curative process. From a self psychological view, deepening the therapeutic process means that, through the analyst's empathic immersion in the patient's subjective view, earlier and earlier forms of the patterns and beliefs that organize this view, including selfobject yearnings and fears of retraumatization, are experienced and become available for interpretation. Vulnerability is viewed as one end of a dimension of self-state. The other end is a state of self-protectiveness. Tenderness and emotional availability as aspects of a selfobject relationship are seen as crucial to the encouraging of vulnerable moments that are key to the deepening of curative process. A group session is presented to illustrate the attitudes that facilitate this process.
ISSN:0020-7284
1943-2836
DOI:10.1080/00207284.1999.11490941