| Abstract: | Proposes that self-fragmentation requires an in-depth process of restoration, which can only be attained when considering the role that the experience of transcendence brings to the life of an individual. Augustine's Confessions offers a narrative of the self that illustrates this process. Five elements of restoration are emphasized: recognition of self-fragmentation, return to interiority, recollection in dialog with God, movement beyond the boundaries of the self, and creative responses in continuity. Concepts from H. Kohut's (1977) self-psychology are used to analyze the narrative, and it is suggested that Augustine's paradigm may be useful in a therapeutic context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
