AGGRESSION - REACTIVE AND TRANSFORMED

The misconception that self psychology does not interpret aggression i s related to Kohut's initial conceptualisation of narcissism and its t reatment. Today, several related but separate issues are considered ut ilizing the theory of the five motivational systems put forward by Lic htenberg et al. (1992, 1996). Is aggression best viewed as proactive l ike a drive, or as reactive to threat, frustration, or injury? How is reactive aggression transformed into eruptive aggression? What is the relationship between aggression and assertion? What are the clinical i mplications of contextualizing aggression? Illustrations from studies of murderers and serial killers, as well as detailed discussions of an alytic cases exemplify the clinical implications of the views presente d.