Understanding the Psychodynamics of Chronic Homelessness from a Self Psychological Perspective

Self psychology can help explain multiple meanings and experiences of being chronically homeless. While it is clear that homelessness
is primarily caused by structural deficits and not individual characteristics, for people who are chronically homeless, this
way of existence may have developed to serve a variety of coping, cohesive, and self-preserving functions as they have learned
to survive and adapt to hostile environments. Through the use of self psychologically informed clinical practice, this paper
explores the subject’s multiple meanings and experiences as well as the nuanced processes that led her to successfully attain
permanent housing. The paper begins by discussing macro etiologies of homelessness, constructs in self psychology and strives
to link the two in theory and practice by exploring one person’s life of chronic homelessness. The paper also explores ethical
challenges as coercive elements factor into the case.