Cohesive Self and New Marginality : A Mutual Critical Correlation

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to present a mutually critical correlation which brings into conversation Lee’s theology of new marginality (in-beyond), Kohut’s psychology of the self, and Kakar’s concept of communal identity. Kakar’s view of the self in relation to community is generally in agreement with notions of the self in Lee’s understanding of marginality. However, Lee’s presentation of the self in a new marginal community is Christ-conscious, whereas Kakar’s view is focused on Hindu mythology, though ultimately connected with God. I correlate some of the concepts of Kohut and Lee, such as the understanding of the self, the vicissitudes of the self, and the cure for the disintegration of the self in the development of a model of pastoral care for Asian-Indian immigrant families in the United States. The theological method of mutual critical correlation that is used in this chapter includes a way of analyzing data through an integrative perspective that allows the fields of theology, psychology, and culture to be in mutual dialogue.