The purpose of the present paper is to explore the tasks and roles of pastoral counselors who function as selfobjects in the Korean culture on the basis of the self-selfobject relationships represented in Heinz Kohut's self psychology. Although Kohut does not apply his self psychology to pastoral work directly, his research contributes to the enhancement of it in his focus on the interrelational nature of being human and healing through empathetic attunement. Particularly, his emphasis on the selfobject's empathetic resonance in self-selfojbect relationships has greatly influenced understanding of the potential care and healing in the field of pastoral care and counseling. Yet in using Kohut's self psychology theories in the Korean culture, we need first to make a critical review of his concepts of the self, selfobject, and empathy, with a particular focus on his formulations of self-selfobject relationships, since these concepts are based on western cultural assumptions. Consequently, his frameworks need to be expanded for application to the Korean cultural context with regard to Korean psychological constructs such as 'uri' and 'jeong.' This expansion implies that Korean self-selfobject relationships are more intense, pervasive, and reciprocal in uri relationships, with more highly empathetic attunement that involves jeong in Korean life than in western life Selfobject functions of pastoral counselors suited to the Korean cultural context can be outlined properly through such expanded versions of Kohut's formulations in Korean self-selfobject relationships. Pastoral counselors function as selfobjects reciprocally in the uri church as a Korean pastoral selfojbect milieu that provides appropriate mutual pastoral care. In addition, they function as selfobjects that reflect mutual self-selfobject relationships with God in the Korean selfobject milieu.

The purpose of the present paper is to explore the tasks and roles of pastoral counselors who function as selfobjects in the Korean culture on the basis of the self-selfobject relationships represented in Heinz Kohut's self psychology. Although Kohut does not apply his self psychology to pastoral work directly, his research contributes to the enhancement of it in his focus on the interrelational nature of being human and healing through empathetic attunement. Particularly, his emphasis on the selfobject's empathetic resonance in self-selfojbect relationships has greatly influenced understanding of the potential care and healing in the field of pastoral care and counseling. Yet in using Kohut's self psychology theories in the Korean culture, we need first to make a critical review of his concepts of the self, selfobject, and empathy, with a particular focus on his formulations of self-selfobject relationships, since these concepts are based on western cultural assumptions. Consequently, his frameworks need to be expanded for application to the Korean cultural context with regard to Korean psychological constructs such as 'uri' and 'jeong.' This expansion implies that Korean self-selfobject relationships are more intense, pervasive, and reciprocal in uri relationships, with more highly empathetic attunement that involves jeong in Korean life than in western life Selfobject functions of pastoral counselors suited to the Korean cultural context can be outlined properly through such expanded versions of Kohut's formulations in Korean self-selfobject relationships. Pastoral counselors function as selfobjects reciprocally in the uri church as a Korean pastoral selfojbect milieu that provides appropriate mutual pastoral care. In addition, they function as selfobjects that reflect mutual self-selfobject relationships with God in the Korean selfobject milieu.

self, selfobject, empathy, pastoral counselor, Korean culture