The Shaping of the Self: Patterns and Pathways in Bowlby, Kohut, and Bowen

Empathic engagement in caregiving professions : in light of Heinz Kohut´s self psychology

Masteroppgave i religion- Universitetet i Agder 2010 This thesis explores and illustrates ways in which a conceptual framework based on Heinz Kohut’s self psychology, complemented by Kristin D. Neff’s conceptualization of selfcompassion, can help illuminate how six professional caregivers from different disciplines relate to themselves as they are faced with the call for empathic engagement in their practices. The study is qualitative insofar as the goal of the investigation is describing, discovering and understanding, rather than predicting and confirming. However, in the collection of data this thesis combines the use of a qualitative method, conducting semi-structured interviews, with a…