Hypersexuality as a Disorder of the Self

The focus of this paper is the clinical phenomenon of hypersexuality as it is encountered in the psychotherapeutic treatment of adult males. Hypersexuality, it is argued, can be more usefully understood within the theoretical framework of Xohut's psychology of the self. A review of relevant literature, including a brief exposition of the major theoretical premises of self psychology, is presented, along with two clinical examples derived from the authors' psychotherapy practice.