Malignant Self Love | Page 7

ethnic, social, cultural, economic, genetic, or
professional predilection to NPD.
_ It is estimated that 0.7-1% of the general population suffer from
NPD.
_ Pathological narcissism was first described in detail by Freud. Other
major contributors are: Klein, Horney, Kohut, Kernberg, Millon,
Roningstam, Gunderson, Hare.
_ The onset of narcissism is in infancy, childhood and early
adolescence. It is commonly attributed to childhood abuse and trauma
inflicted by parents, authority figures, or even peers.
_ There is a whole range of narcissistic reactions - from the mild,
reactive and transient to the permanent personality disorder.
_ Narcissists are either "cerebral" (derive their Narcissistic Supply from
their intelligence or academic achievements) - or "somatic" (derive
their Narcissistic Supply from their physique, exercise, physical or
sexual prowess and "conquests").
_ Narcissists are either "classic" - see definition below - or they are
"compensatory", or "inverted" - see definitions in FAQ 49: The
Inverted Narcissist.
_ NPD is treated by talk therapy (psychodynamic or
cognitive-behavioural). The prognosis for an adult narcissist is poor,
though his adaptation to life and to others can improve with treatment.
Medication is applied to side effects and behaviours (such as mood or
affect disorders and obsession-compulsion) - usually with some
success.
Bibliography
1. Alford, C. Fred. Narcissism: Socrates, the Frankfurt School and
Psychoanalytic Theory. New Haven and London, Yale University Press,
1988
2. Devereux, George. Basic Problems of Ethno-Psychiatry. University
of Chicago Press, 1980
3. Fairbairn, W. R. D. An Object Relations Theory of the Personality.
New York, Basic Books, 1954

4. Freud S. Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality [1905]. Standard
Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud. Vol.
7. London, Hogarth Press, 1964
5. Freud, S. On Narcissism. Standard Ed. Vol. 14, pp. 73-107
6. Goldman, Howard H. (Ed.). Review of General Psychiatry. 4th Ed.
London, Prentice Hall International, 1995
7. Golomb, Elan. Trapped in the Mirror: Adult Children of Narcissists
in Their Struggle for Self. Quill, 1995
8. Greenberg, Jay R. and Mitchell, Stephen A. Object Relations in
Psychoanalytic Theory. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press,
1983
9. Grunberger, Bela. Narcissism: Psychoanalytic Essays. New York,
International Universities Press, 1979
10. Guntrip, Harry. Personality Structure and Human Interaction. New
York, International Universities Press, 1961
11. Horowitz M. J. Sliding Meanings: A Defence against Threat in
Narcissistic Personalities. International Journal of Psychoanalytic
Psychotherapy, 1975; 4:167
12. Horovitz M. J. Stress Response Syndromes: PTSD, Grief and
Adjustment Disorders. 3rd Ed. New York, NY University Press, 1998
13. Jacobson, Edith. The Self and the Object World. New York,
International Universities Press, 1964
14. Jung, C.G. Collected Works. G. Adler, M. Fordham and H. Read
(Eds.). 21 volumes. Princeton University Press, 1960-1983
15. Kernberg O. Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism.
New York, Jason Aronson, 1975
16. Klein, Melanie. The Writings of Melanie Klein. Roger
Money-Kyrle (Ed.). 4 Vols. New York, Free Press, 1964-75
17. Kohut H. The Chicago Institute Lectures 1972-1976. Marian and
Paul Tolpin (Eds.). Analytic Press, 1998
18. Kohut M. The Analysis of the Self. New York, International
Universities Press, 1971
19. Lasch, Christopher. The Culture of Narcissism. New York, Warner
Books, 1979
20. Levine, J. D., and Weiss, Rona H. The Dynamics and Treatment of
Alcoholism. Jason Aronson, 1994
21. Lowen, Alexander. Narcissism: Denial of the True Self. Touchstone

Books, 1997
22. Millon, Theodore (and Roger D. Davis, contributor). Disorders of
Personality: DSM-IV and Beyond. 2nd ed. New York, John Wiley and
Sons, 1995
23. Millon, Theodore. Personality Disorders in Modern Life. New York,
John Wiley and Sons, 2000
24. Riso, Don Richard. Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for
Self-Discovery. Boston: Houghton Mifflin 1987
25. Roningstam, Elsa F. (Ed.). Disorders of Narcissism: Diagnostic,
Clinical, and Empirical Implications. American Psychiatric Press, 1998
26. Rothstein, Arnold. The Narcissistic Pursuit of Reflection. 2nd
revised Ed. New York, International Universities Press, 1984
27. Schwartz, Lester. Narcissistic Personality Disorders - A Clinical
Discussion. Journal of American Psychoanalytic Association - 22
[1974]: 292-305
28. Salant-Schwartz, Nathan. Narcissism and Character Transformation.
Inner City Books, 1985 - pp. 90-91
29. Stern, Daniel. The Interpersonal World of the Infant: A View from
Psychoanalysis and Developmental Psychology. New York, Basic
Books, 1985
30. Vaknin, Sam. Malignant Self-Love - Narcissism Revisited. Skopje
and Prague, Narcissus Publications, 1999, 2001, 2003
31. Zweig, Paul. The Heresy of Self-Love: A Study of Subversive
Individualism. New York, Basic Books, 1968
Malignant
Self Love
Narcissism Revisited
Overview
This section contains professional terms.
For treatment of specific issues go to the
Frequently Asked Questions.
CHAPTER I
The Soul of a Narcissist
The State of the Art

We all love ourselves. That seems to be such an instinctively true
statement that we do not bother to examine it more thoroughly. In our
daily lives - in love, in business, in other areas of life - we act on this
premise. Yet, upon closer inspection, it looks