Heinz Kohut (1913-1981), psychiatrist born in
Vienna,
Austria, to an elite family. His father, a businessman and pianist, was drafted into service during
World War I and was absent during his son's early years, while his mother alternated between smothering and ignoring young Heinz.
At 19, Kohut entered the University of Vienna and earned his M.D. degree in 1938, with his principal training in neurology. He idolized Freud and devoted his career to the promotion of psychoanalysis as both science and therapy tool.
Kohut emigrated to the United States of America in 1940, where he settled in Chicago for the remainder of his life. Kohut lectured in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Chicago, served as faculty member and training/supervising analyst at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, maintained a full clinical practice and taught classes in psychoanalytic theory.
Beginning in the 1970s, Kohut published his ideas. His writing generated critical acclaim, but as Kohut aged he turned down more and more awards and ceremony appearances to devote his time singularly to his work. His peers found his methods controversial, accusing Kohut of plaigarizing the work of others and rejecting his views on the science of self.
Kohut's major works include The Analysis of the Self (1971), The Restoration of the Self (1977), and two posthumously published works: How Does Analysis Cure? (1984) and Self Psychology and the Humanities (1985).