The concept of the selfobject in creativity, art and sculpture

This thesis entitled 'The Concept Of The Selfobject In Creativity, Art And Sculpture' addresses the relationship between sculpture and the sculptor within the context of the 'Concept of the Selfobject' central to Heinz Kohut's psychology of self. In the introduction to this thesis, the concept of self is described before analyzing the philosophical approaches to the perception and consciousness of the self and defining the place of the concept within psychology. A detailed review on Heinz Kohut's development of 'the Concept of Psychology of Self, one of the psychoanalytic concepts of the contemporary era, reveals information about the contents of the 'Concept of the Selfobject', which is regarded as one of Kohut's most significant contributions to psychology and the concept of self. The chapter 'About Self and Creativity' discusses the relationship between nature and intelligence, and the distinctions between genius, taking into account the nature of creativity. In defining the concept of creativity, the distinctive characteristics of the connection between creativity and a creative person are also highlighted. At this point, the relationship between creativity and the self and their mutual influences is underlined. The methods of distinct psychological schools are described in detail while psychologically analyzing a creative individual. The topic 'creative self' emphasizes that individuals, who hold a high potential for creativity throughout the development process of the self, have a dynamic dialectic relationship between the self and creativity. Strong theoretical references are used in particular to describe that creative activity in art manifests as an expression of the self. The final chapter examines 'Sculpture as a Selfobject' where it is crucial to address 'self' dynamics throughout the creative process and assess the connection of the finished artwork to the artist. While highlighting the very existence of the artist's expression of self in the artwork, the relationship between sculpture and sculptor is given a meaning in this context. It seems that a sculpture acts as a mirror for its creator, giving them a sense of awareness as they ultimately face the self in their creation. The given examples of sculpturers contain images that lend credence to the subject matter and the proposition in in-depth analyses of artworks in terms of the expression of self. The research conducted indicates that the choice of material, form, dimension, texture, color, and even the presentation style of the sculpture embodies a wealth of data about the artist's self when viewed from the perspective of the psychology of self. In light of such data, it would seem that all factors that contributed to the creation of self can be read on sculpture more strongly than any other piece of art. Therefore, it can be inferred from the standpoint of the Psychology of Self that a sculpture is a 'selfobject' for its artist. Keywords: Self, Selfobject, Creativity, Art, Sculpture