Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: A self-psychological perspective

This essay is a self psychological discussion of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It explores the narcissistic dynamics underlying Victor Frankenstein’s creation of the man he brings to life and the catastrophic consequences of the abandonment of his creation. Drawing upon Kohutian theory, the paper argues that Victor’s grandiose ambitions and subsequent rejection of his creation constitute a profound failure of selfobject responsiveness, leading to the creature’s collapse into narcissistic rage, despair, and vengeance. The essay highlights the mutual entanglement of creator and creation, demonstrating how narcissistic injury binds them in a tragic tie that ultimately destroys them both. Finally, I will extend my thesis to our current struggle to understand our developing relationship with “Artificial Intelligence”, and how Frankenstein may presage the challenges and dangers of our relationship to our new digitalized “creature”.