Abstract
Objective: To present an extension to Heinz Kohut’s concept of selfobjects that will allow treatment and a cure of disorders. It is proposed that the undifferentiated selfobject (Rowe, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2020) is the key to understanding the formation and treatment of disorders that are characterized by preoccupations with destructive thoughts and actions. By destructive I am referring to preoccupations that can be harmful to oneself (e.g., impulse disorders: World Health Organization [WHO], 1992, p.11; Blais et al., 2016; Clark, 2011; Heydari & Khorram, 2015; Shea et al., 1990). Since all disorders are not characterized by preoccupations with destructive thoughts and actions (ICD-10, pp. 1-3; American Psychiatric Association, 2013, pp. 101-105), the disorders described in this article will be referred to as preoccupation disorders. They include but not limited to major depressive disorders, bipolar affective disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, obsessive compulsive personality disorders, paranoid personality disorders, eating disorders, and impulse disorders.