08 Mar 2008 12:28:06 | Sam Vaknin
NARCISSISM (n. sing.)
A pattern of traits and behaviours which signify infatuation and
obsession with one's self to the exclusion of all others and the
egotistic and ruthless pursuit of one's gratification, dominance
and ambition.
Narcissism is named after the ancient Greek myth of Narcissus
who was a handsome Greek youth who rejected the desperate
advances of the nymph Echo.
In punishment of his cruelty, he was doomed to fall in love with
his own reflection in a pool of water.
Unable to consummate his love, he pined away and changed into
the flower that bears his name to this very day.
WHAT IS NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder)?
The Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) has been recognized
as a seperate mental health disorder in the third edition of the
Diagnostic and Statistics Manual (DSM) in 1980. Its diagnostic
criteria and their interpretation have undergone a major
revision in the DSM III-R (1987) and were substantially revamped
in the DSM IV in 1994. The European ICD-10 basically contains
identical language.
An all-pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or
behaviour), need for admiration or adulation and lack of
empathy, usually beginning by early adulthood and present in
various contexts. Five (or more) of the following criteria must
be met:
(1) Feels grandiose and self-importance (e.g., exaggerates
achievements and talents to the point of lying, demands to be
recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
(2) Is obsessed with fantasies of unlimited success, fame,
fearsome power or omnipotence, unequalled brilliance (the
cerebral narcissist), bodily beauty or sexual performance (the
somatic narcissist), or ideal, everlasting, all-conquering love
or passion
(3) Firmaly convinced that he or she is unique and, being
special, can only be understood by, should only be treated by,
or associate with, other special or unique, or high-status
people (or institutions)
(4) Requires excessive admiration, adulation, attention and
affirmation - or, failing that, wishes to be feared and to be
notorious (narcissistic supply).
(5) Feels entitled. Expects unreasonable or special and
favourable priority treatment. Demands automatic and full
compliance with his or her expectations
(6) Is "interpersonally exploitative", i.e., uses others to
achieve his or her own ends
(7) Devoid of empathy. Is unable or unwilling to identify with
or acknowledge the feelings and needs of others
(8) Constantly envious of others or believes that they feel the
same about him or her
(9) Arrogant, haughty behaviours or attitudes coupled with rage
when frustrated, contradicted, or confronted.
The language in the criteria above is based on or summarized
from:
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and
statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition (DSM
IV-TR). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Sam Vaknin. (1999, 2001, 2003). Malignant Self Love - Narcissism
Revisited, fifth revised printing. Prague and Skopje: Narcissus
Publication.
("Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited"
http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/faq1.html )
I. PATHOLOGICAL NARCISSISM OVERVIEW
Whether narcissism and its pathology are the results of genetic
programming (see Anthony Benis and others) or of dysfunctional
families and faulty upbringing or of anomic societies and
disruptive socialization processes - is still an unresolved
debate. The scarcity of scientific research, the fuzziness of
the diagnosic criteria and the differential diagnoses make it
unlikely that this will be settled soon one way or the other.
It is the psychoanalytic belief that we are all Narcissists at
an early stage of our lives. As infants and toddlers we all feel
that we are the center of the Universe, the most import ant,
omnipotent and omniscient beings.
At that phase of our development, our parents are perceived by
us to be mythical figures, immortal and awesomely powerful,
there solely to cater to our needs, to protect and nourish us.
Both Self and others are viewed immaturely, as idealizations.
This, in the psychodynamic models, is called the phase of
"primary" narcissism.
Inevitably, the inexorable processes and conflicts of life erode
these perceptions and reduce the ideal into the the real.
Adaptation is a process of disillusionment. If this process is
abrupt, inconsistent, unpredictable, capricious, arbitrary and
intense - the injuries sustained by the infant's tender,
budding, self-esteem, are severe and, often, irreversible.
Moreover, the empathic support of our caretakers (the Primary
Objects, the parents) is crucial. In its absence, our sense of
self-worth and self-esteem in adulthood tends to fluctuate, to
alternate between over-valuation (idealization) and devaluation
of both Self and others. Narcissistic adults are widely thought
to be the result of bitter disappointment, of radical
disillusionment in the significant others in their infancy.
Healthy adults accept their self-limitations (the boundaries and
limitations of their selves). They accept disappointments,
setbacks, failures, criticism and disillusionment with grace and
tolerance. Their self-esteem is constant and positive, not
substantially affected by outside events, no matter how severe.
About Author :
Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism
Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He is
a columnist for Central Europe Review, United Press
International (UPI) and eBookWeb and the editor of mental health
and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory,
Suite101 and searcheurope.com. 
