Narcissistic defences

Narcissistic defensesare those processes whereby the idealized aspects of the self are preserved, and its limitations denied.^[1]They tend to be rigid and totalistic.^[2]They are often driven by feelings ofshameandguilt,conscious or unconscious.^[3]

Origins

Narcissistic defenses are among the earliestdefense mechanismsto emerge, and includedenial,distortion,andprojection.^[4]Splittingis another defense mechanism prevalent among individuals withnarcissistic personality disorder,borderline personality disorder,andantisocial personality disorder—seeing people and situations in black and white terms, either as all bad or all good.^[5]

A narcissistic defense, with the disorder's typical over-valuation of the self, can appear at any stage of development.^[6]

Defence sequences

The narcissist typically runs through a sequence of defenses to discharge painful feelings until he or she finds one that works:^[7]^[8]

unconsciousrepression
consciousdenial
distortion(includingexaggerationandminimization),rationalisationandlies
psychological projection(blamingsomebody else)
enlisting the help of one or more of his or hercodependentfriends who will support his or her distorted view.

Freudians

Sigmund Freuddid not focus specifically on narcissistic defenses,^[9]but did note inOn Narcissismhow "even great criminals and humorists, as they are represented in literature, compel our interest by the narcissistic consistency with which they manage to keep away from their ego anything that would diminish it".^[10]Freud saw narcissisticregressionas a defensive answer to object loss—denying the loss of an important object by way of a substitutive identification with it.^[11]

Freud also considered social narcissism as a defence mechanism, apparent when communal identifications produce irrational panics at perceived threats to 'Throne and Altar' or 'Free Markets',^[12]or in English over-reaction to any questioning ofthe status and identity of William Shakespeare.^[13]

Fenichel

Otto Fenichelconsidered that "identification, performed by means ofintrojection,is the most primitive form of relationship to objects "a primitive mechanism only used" if the ego's function of reality testing is severely damaged by a narcissistic regression. "^[14]

Fenichel also highlighted "eccentrics who have more or less succeeded in regaining the security ofprimary narcissismand who feel 'Nothing can happen to me'....[failing] to give up the archaic stages of repudiating displeasure and to turn toward reality ".^[15]

Lacan

Jacques Lacan,following out Freud's view of the ego as the result of identifications,^[16]came to consider the ego itself as a narcissistic defence, driven by what he called "the 'narcissistic passion'...in the coming-into-being (devenir) of the subject ".^[17]

Kleinians

Melanie Klein,emphasisedprojective identificationin narcissism, and the manic defence against becoming aware of the damage done to objects in this way.^[18]For Kleinians, at the core of manic defences in narcissism stood whatHanna Segalcalled "a triad of feelings—control, triumph and contempt".^[19]

Rosenfeld

Herbert Rosenfeldlooked at the role ofomnipotence,combined with projective identification, as a narcissistic means of defending against awareness of separation between ego and object.^[20]

Object relations theory

In the wake of Klein,object relations theory,including particularly the American schools ofOtto KernbergandHeinz Kohuthas explored narcissistic defences through analysis of such mechanisms as denial, projective identification, and extreme idealization.^[21]

Kernberg emphasised the role of the splitting apart introjections, and identifications of opposing qualities, as a cause of ego weakness.^[22]Kohut too stressed the fact in narcissism "vertical splits are between self-structures (among others)—'I am grand' and 'I am wretched'—with very little communication between them".^[23]

Neville Symingtonhowever placed greater weight on the way "a person dominated by narcissistic currents...survives through being able to sense the emotional tone of the other...wearing the cloaks of others";^[24]while for Spotnitz the key element is that the narcissist turns feelings in upon the self in narcissistic defense.^[25]

Positive defenses

Kernberg emphasised the positive side to narcissistic defenses,^[26]while Kohut also stressed the necessity in early life for narcissistic positions to succeed each other in orderly maturational sequences.^[27]

Others like Symington would maintain that "it is a mistake to split narcissism into positive and negative...we do not get positive narcissism without self-hatred".^[28]

Stigmatising attitude to psychiatric illness

Arikan found that astigmatisingattitude topsychiatricpatients is associated with narcissistic defences.^[29]

21st century

The twenty-first century has seen a distinction drawn between cerebral and somatic narcissists—the former building up their self-sense throughintellectualism,the latter through an obsession with their bodies,^[30]as with the woman who, inbad faith,invests her sense of freedom only in being an object of beauty for others.^[31]

Literary parallels

Sir Philip Sidneyis said to have seen poetry in itself as a narcissistic defense.^[32]
Jean-Paul Sartre's aloof, detached protagonists have been seen as crude narcissists who preserve their sense of self only by petrifying it into solid form.^[33]

References

^Shaw J.A. (1999).Sexual Aggression,American Psychiatric Publishing, pp. 28–9.
^Gerald Alper,Self Defence in a Narcissistic World(2003) p. 10
^Patrick Casement,Further Learning from the Patient(1990) p. 132
^Barry P.D., Farmer S. (2002).Mental Health and Mental Illness,p. 175.
^Lubit R (2002). "The long-term organizational impact of destructively narcissistic managers".Academy of Management Executive.16(1): 127–38.doi:10.5465/ame.2002.6640218.
^Wilber K.,Engler J., Brown D. (1986).Transformations of Consciousness: Conventional and Contemplative Perspective of Development,Boston: New Science Library, New York City, NY, p. 150
^Millon, Theodore;Carrie M. Millon; Seth Grossman; Sarah Meagher; Rowena Ramnath (2004).Personality Disorders in Modern Life.John Wiley and Sons.ISBN 978-0-471-23734-1.
^Thomas D Narcissism: Behind the Mask (2010)
^Elsa Schmid-Kitsikis, "Narcissistic Defenses"
^Sigmund Freud,On Metapsychology(PFL 11), p. 83
^Freud,Metapsychology,p. 258
^Sigmund Freud,On Sexuality(PFL 7) p. 352
^James Shapiro,Contested Will(2010) p. 344
^Otto Fenichel,The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis(London 1946), pp. 147–48
^Fenichel, p. 510
^Elisabeth Roudinesco,Jacques Lacan(Oxford 1997), p. 111
^Jacques Lacan,Écrits: A Selection(London 1997), pp. 21–22
^James S. Grotstein, "Foreword", in Neville Symington,Narcissism: A New Theory(London 1993), p. xii
^Hanna Segal,Introduction to the Work of Melanie Klein(London 1964), p. 70
^Jean-Michel Quinodoz,The Taming of Solitude(2004), p. 168
^Schmid-Kitsikis
^Otto F. Kernberg,Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism(London 1990) p. 29
^Kohut, quoted in Josephine Klein,Our Need for Others(London 1994) p. 222
^Symington, pp. 52, 88
^James G. Fennessy, "The Narcissistic Defense"
^Elsa Ronningstam,Disorders of Narcissism(1997) p. 128
^Heinz Kohut,The Analysis of the Self(Madison 1971) p. 215
^Symington, pp. 58, 113
^Arikan, K. (2005)."A stigmatizating attitude towards psychiatric illnesses is associated with narcissistic personality traits"(PDF).Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci.42(4): 248–50.PMID 16618057.
^Simon Crompton,All about Me(London 2007) pp. 28–29
^Jack Reynolds,Understanding Existentialism(2006) p. 143
^Jonathan Goldberg,Voice Terminal Echo(1986) p. 47
^J. A. Kotarba/A. Fontana,The Existential Self in Society(1987) p. 85

External links

"A narcissistic defence against affects and the illusion of self-sufficiency"

[1] Shaw J.A. (1999).Sexual Aggression,American Psychiatric Publishing, pp. 28–9.

[2] Gerald Alper,Self Defence in a Narcissistic World(2003) p. 10

[3] Patrick Casement,Further Learning from the Patient(1990) p. 132

[4] Barry P.D., Farmer S. (2002).Mental Health and Mental Illness,p. 175.

[5] Lubit R (2002). "The long-term organizational impact of destructively narcissistic managers".Academy of Management Executive.16(1): 127–38.doi:10.5465/ame.2002.6640218.

[6] Wilber K.,Engler J., Brown D. (1986).Transformations of Consciousness: Conventional and Contemplative Perspective of Development,Boston: New Science Library, New York City, NY, p. 150

[millon2-7] Millon, Theodore;Carrie M. Millon; Seth Grossman; Sarah Meagher; Rowena Ramnath (2004).Personality Disorders in Modern Life.John Wiley and Sons.ISBN 978-0-471-23734-1.

[8] Thomas D Narcissism: Behind the Mask (2010)

[9] Elsa Schmid-Kitsikis, "Narcissistic Defenses"

[10] Sigmund Freud,On Metapsychology(PFL 11), p. 83

[11] Freud,Metapsychology,p. 258

[12] Sigmund Freud,On Sexuality(PFL 7) p. 352

[13] James Shapiro,Contested Will(2010) p. 344

[14] Otto Fenichel,The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis(London 1946), pp. 147–48

[15] Fenichel, p. 510

[16] Elisabeth Roudinesco,Jacques Lacan(Oxford 1997), p. 111

[17] Jacques Lacan,Écrits: A Selection(London 1997), pp. 21–22

[18] James S. Grotstein, "Foreword", in Neville Symington,Narcissism: A New Theory(London 1993), p. xii

[19] Hanna Segal,Introduction to the Work of Melanie Klein(London 1964), p. 70

[20] Jean-Michel Quinodoz,The Taming of Solitude(2004), p. 168

[Schmid-Kitsikis-21] Schmid-Kitsikis

[22] Otto F. Kernberg,Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism(London 1990) p. 29

[23] Kohut, quoted in Josephine Klein,Our Need for Others(London 1994) p. 222

[24] Symington, pp. 52, 88

[25] James G. Fennessy, "The Narcissistic Defense"

[26] Elsa Ronningstam,Disorders of Narcissism(1997) p. 128

[27] Heinz Kohut,The Analysis of the Self(Madison 1971) p. 215

[28] Symington, pp. 58, 113

[29] Arikan, K. (2005)."A stigmatizating attitude towards psychiatric illnesses is associated with narcissistic personality traits"(PDF).Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci.42(4): 248–50.PMID 16618057.

[30] Simon Crompton,All about Me(London 2007) pp. 28–29

[31] Jack Reynolds,Understanding Existentialism(2006) p. 143

[32] Jonathan Goldberg,Voice Terminal Echo(1986) p. 47

[33] J. A. Kotarba/A. Fontana,The Existential Self in Society(1987) p. 85

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v t e Narcissism
Similar personality concepts	Egomania Egotism God complex Healthy narcissism Hubris Machiavellianism Messiah complex Narcissus (mythology) Superiority complex
In society	Collective narcissism Don Juanism In the workplace Leadership Me generation Parents
Pathological narcissism	Narcissistic personality disorder history Dark triad Malignant narcissism Manipulation (psychology) Narcissistic injury neurosis elation mortification supply withdrawal Narcissistic Personality Inventory
Related psychology concepts	Compensation Empathy Entitlement Grandiosity
Category

v t e Defence mechanisms
Level 1: Pathological	Delusional projection Denial or abnegation (German:Verneinung) Psychotic denial or disavowal (German:Verleugnung) Distortion Foreclosure or repudiation (German:Verwerfung) Extreme projection Identification with the Aggressor Splitting
Level 2: Immature	Acting out Fantasy Idealization Introjection Passive-aggression Projection Projective identification Somatization
Level 3: Neurotic	Displacement Dissociation Hypochondriasis Intellectualization Isolation Rationalization Reaction formation Regression Repression (German:Verdrängung) Undoing
Level 4: Mature	Altruism Anticipation Humour Identification Sublimation Suppression
Other	Compartmentalization Defensive pessimism Minimisation Postponement of affect