The Cultural Self-Objectivation Hypothesis

Abstract

This paper proposes the Cultural Self-Objectivation Hypothesis, which argues that expatriates may experience a regression to infantile narcissistic phases due to narcissistic injury caused by cultural dissonance, leading to cultural cathexis (i.e., the projection of their self, a key constituent of the psychic apparatus, onto their native or the host culture). Drawing on Heinz Kohut’s concept of self-object transference (a psychic phenomenon in which patients project their self onto their therapists) and from psychoanalytic theory, Cultural Self-Objectivation (CSO) is hypothesized to be manifested in either auto-alienating or xeno-alienating form. The first chapter of this paper describes the CSO phenomenon; the second chapter analyzes the two proposed manifestations of the phenomenon; the third chapter compares CSO with concepts from John Berry’s Model of Acculturation (i.e., assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization) and establishes that CSO is a distinct phenomenon. This paper’s primary contribution lies in delineating the theoretical framework of the Cultural Self-Objectivation Hypothesis, providing a foundation for future research and empirical studies on the topic.