MORE DATA ABOUT PATHOLOGICAL NARCISSISM

Most narcissists (75%) are men.

NPD (=the Narcissistic Personality Disorder) is one of a "family" of personality disorders (formerly known as "Cluster B").

Other members: Borderline PD, Antisocial PD and Histrionic PD.

NPD is often diagnosed with other mental health disorders ("co-morbidity") - or with substance abuse, or impulsive and reckless behaviours ("dual diagnosis").

NPD is new (1980) mental health category in the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual (DSM).

There is only scant research regarding narcissism.

But what there is has not demonstrated any 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 here: "The Inverted Narcissist" - http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/faq66.html

NPD is treated in 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.

To learn more, go here:

Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited (link:
http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/faq1.html )

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (link:
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/npd )

BIBLIOGRAPHY

(1) Alford, C. Fred - Narcissism: Socrates, the Frankfurt School and Psychoanalytic Theory - New Haven and London, Yale University Press - 1988

(2) Fairbairn, W. R. D. - An Object Relations Theory of the Personality - New York, Basic Books, 1954

(3) 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

(4) Freud, S. - On Narcissism - Standard Edition - Vol. 14 - pp. 73-107

(5) Golomb, Elan - Trapped in the Mirror : Adult Children of Narcissists in Their Struggle for Self - Quill, 1995

(6) Greenberg, Jay R. and Mitchell, Stephen A. - Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory - Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1983

(7) Grunberger, Bela - Narcissism: Psychoanalytic Essays - New York, International Universities Press - 1979

(8) Guntrip, Harry - Personality Structure and Human Interaction - New York, International Universities Press - 1961

(9) Horowitz M.J. - Sliding Meanings: A defense against threat in narcissistic personalities - International Journal of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy - 1975;4:167

(10) Jacobson, Edith - The Self and the Object World - New York, International Universities Press - 1964

(11) Kernberg O. - Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism - New York, Jason Aronson, 1975

(12) Klein, Melanie - The Writings of Melanie Klein - Ed. Roger Money-Kyrle - 4 vols. - New York, Free Press - 1964-75

(13) Kohut M. - The Analysis of the Self - New York, International Universities Press, 1971

(14) Lasch, Christopher - The Culture of Narcissism - New York, Warner Books, 1979

(15) Lowen, Alexander - Narcissism : Denial of the True Self - Touchstone Books, 1997

(16) Millon, Theodore (and Roger D. Davis, contributor) - Disorders of Personality: DSM IV and Beyond - 2nd ed. - New York, John Wiley and Sons, 1995

(17) Millon, Theodore - Personality Disorders in Modern Life - New York, John Wiley and Sons, 2000

(18) Roningstam, Elsa F. (ed.) - Disorders of Narcissism: Diagnostic, Clinical, and Empirical Implications - American Psychiatric Press, 1998

(19) Rothstein, Arnold - The Narcissistic Pursuit of Reflection - 2nd revised ed. - New York, International Universities Press, 1984

(20) Schwartz, Lester - Narcissistic Personality Disorders - A Clinical Discussion - Journal of Am. Psychoanalytic Association - 22 (1974): 292-305

(21) Stern, Daniel - The Interpersonal World of the Infant: A View from Psychoanalysis and Developmental Psychology - New York, Basic Books, 1985

(22) Vaknin, Sam - Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited - Skopje and Prague, Narcissus Publications, 1999, 2001

(23) Zweig, Paul - The Heresy of Self-Love: A Study of Subversive Individualism - New York, Basic Books, 1968