FREE ESSAY ON NARCISSISM

NARCISSISM

In the analysis of an individual there are three primary methods employed in order to
successfully assess and repair his condition- biological, cognitive, and psychoanalytic
theory. In the case of narcissism, only the psychoanalytic approach will suffice to
structurally repair rather than suppress manifest symptoms of the unfulfilled self.
Narcissists must learn to address the needs of their childhood that have not have been
satisfied and acknowledge them as the root of their grandiose actions, a facade for their
inner sense of shame and insecurity (Kohut, 1978, p. 423). In the case of Mr. Z, he
underwent two analyses with a five-year grace period in between, the first analysis
unsuccessful in structurally curing his masochistic propensities as they merely shifted
to another facet of his life (Kohut, 1979, p.10). This lack of structural change went
unnoticed during the first analysis, and was only revealed through examination of the
patient's root of disturbance during the second analysis. The agent that assisted the
discovery was the change in approach by the analyst within the realm of psychoanalysis,
that is the shift from a focus in analysis based upon classical-dynamic structural terms
to that of the psychology of the self in the narrow sense. (Kohut, 1979, p. 26).
Through observation of symptoms and examination of life occurrences, it is clear that Mr.
Z exhibits the characteristics of narcissism. He has a mother that relied upon him as her
self-object throughout his childhood and into his early adult years. This provided
conflict in that Mr. Z needed his mother as his own self-object, and due to her selfish
role-reversal, he did not receive the mirroring necessary to develop a healthy, strong
self-structure. Self-objects mirror an individual, confirming one's inner sense of
greatness and perfection, provide a figure for idealization, and relate a twinship for
one to identify interests and talents with, also known as an alterego (Kohut, 1978, p.
414). Mr. Z's mother played all of these roles in his life because his father left when
Mr. Z was young. One found him absent of a man with whom he could idealize and identify;
hence he was incapable of asserting his masculinity. Mr. Z's mother was of a pathological
state and intermeshed her disturbance within the relationship with her son (Kohut, 1979,
p. 13). Faulty interaction between the child and his self-objects result in a damaged
self. (Kohut, 1978, p. 414) This abused child developed a perspective that conformed to
that of his unstable self-object, rather than creating an independent center of
initiative. This led to number of narcissistic preoccupations including a focus upon his
productions, masochistic fantasies, defensiveness and denial, and an arrogance of
demandingness (Kohut, 1979, p. 14).
The ultimate comprehension of the disturbances of Mr. Z can be attributed to the
analyst's realization of the true foundations of the patient's symptoms. Once this
realization occurred, his perspective changed in that he was able to perceive the
significance of unmet essential needs as the reason for disturbances. In addition, he
acknowledged that Mr. Z's self-structure could only be repaired through time and by a
more patient and understanding demeanor on behalf of the analyst (Kohut, 1979, p.12). In
the first analysis, the analyst merely tolerated Mr. Z's defensive behavior and
progressively sought to oppose it, however in the second he perceived it as a
transference of childhood feelings that resurfaced in therapy (Kohut, 1979, p. 12). Mr. Z
had unintentionally witnessed sex between his parents at an early age and associated it
with aggressiveness as his memories sequenced it following verbal battles between them.
Defenses accompanying this obviously disturbing encounter include acts of grandiosity and
overconfidence due to a supposed illusionistic oedipal victory (Kohut, 1979, p 26). Mr. Z
was convinced that he had won because the father left; his success had achieved the power
of sole possessor of his mother. However, the removal of his father soon led to Mr. Z's
mother engaging in extramarital affairs. Due to the nature of the boy's position as her
sole male possessor, these other men introduced a threat to his security; therefore, the
therapist saw the patient's defensiveness as a mechanism that shielded him against these
rivals. Where the analyst went too far, discovered in the second analysis, was his
assertion that the mechanism was being used against sexual rivals again in the oedipal
sense, and additionally against fear of castration brought upon by awareness of his own
competitive feelings towards the rivals, including his father (Kohut, 1979, p. 6). The
castration anxiety, however, was no longer an oedipal victory but a defeat, for Mr. Z did
not remain his mother's sole possessor; hence his anxiety was accompanied by depression.
Similarly, the analyst attributed Mr. Z's recurring masturbation along with masochistic
fantasies to an early warped sense of the nature of lovemaking (Kohut, 1979, p. 6). His
in-depth explanation linked Mr. Z's dominatrix thoughts concerning women to his
perception of a strong mother and a weak father. The castration anxiety accompanied by
depression resurfaced in an additional oedipal defeat only now with the strong mother.
She provided protection against the father as a castrator because she was more powerful
than he was, but this then served as the basis for his masochism in his unconscious
denial of the existence of people without penises (Kohut, 1979, p.7). 
In the second analysis, it was revealed that these masochistic fantasies actually
initiated due to the domination factor at the root of Mr. Z's relationship with his
mother. He possessed a defensive idealization of his strong mother as opposed to an
oedipal conflict with her (Kohut, 1979, p. 26). His mother mirrored him in an unhealthy
way by confirming Mr. Z's superiority over his father provided he remained an appendage
of her- this led to his grandiose attitude as well. He regarded his mother as infallible
and felt inflated by identification with her (McWilliams, 1994, p. 174). 
In addition, the emotional support that she provided him was purely conditional. The
mother's emotional gifts were bestowed on him under the unalterable and uncompromising
condition that he submit to total domination by her. (Kohut, 1979, p.13) He could neither
assert his independence nor engage in meaningful outside relationships for fear of losing
her recognition and love.
She was not interested in him. Only his feces and her inspection of them, only his bowel
functions and her control over them fascinated her- with an intensity, a self-righteous
certainty, and adamant commitment that allowed no protest and created almost total
submission (Kohut, 1979, p. 15).
Mr. Z had not elaborated on specific experiences with his mother and described her
precisely as the image that she portrayed to others (Kohut, 1979, p. 13). The absence of
this pertinent information surely explained the analyst's lack of emphasis upon her
personality disorder; however, the second analysis revealed the alarming details of their
relationship. Suddenly the pervasive existence of the dominating mother became apparent
as a detrimental factor central to the cause of Mr. Z's disturbance. Now the analyst
found it imperative to focus upon the depression and hopelessness that the mother's
attitude evoked in him. This was a key element in his recovery for the therapy in the
second analysis addressed the deep-seeded essence of his symptoms.
Mr. Z had no center of initiative. His masturbation was neither a symptom of his
pre-oedipal phase nor a result of drive motivation in a search for primal pleasure, but
instead served as his only means of asserting his existence. In addition, it was
unempathically overstimulating experience as a demand to be absorbed by the activities of
the mother- submission via masochistically sexualized relinquishment of independence
(Kohut, 1979, p. 16/17).
His lack of a father figure led to a homosexual relationship in which Mr. Z experienced
an enriching friendship with a strong and admired man. This person provided the twinship
he so desperately craved for, someone who reflected and confirmed his self and who
possessed shared interests with him. He also served as a healthy figure for Mr. Z to
idealize. He looked up to the man as someone he could emulate. The personality
intermeshment he experienced with his mother in place of this man after the relationship
terminated was not in his best interests. Ultimately, it proved to be a delusion, causing
Mr. Z to relapse due to the lack of a stable and strong self-object (Kohut, 1979, p. 20).
This perception surfaced in the second analysis, whereas in the first the analyst thought
the homosexual relationship symbolized regression to the strong phallic mother (Kohut,
1979, p. 19).
Transference naturally followed in the patient's effort to recover self-objects.
Unfortunately, they went unnoticed during the first analysis due to the classical methods
employed by the analyst. He saw material in terms of infantile drives and conflicts about
them rather than the absence of self-objects, primarily a father figure. Idealization
followed by twinship attempts arose as a result of a boy absent of an alterego
self-object-namely his father. Once he began to solve the mystery of this man, through
interaction with him and observation of him, he was able to see a strong individual. His
father was independent and capable of existence without the mother (Kohut, 1979, p. 21).
This realization ultimately enabled Mr. Z to begin to stand on his own and develop a
strong sense of self. 
Psychologists tend to focus on one area of psychological diagnosis, such as
psychoanalysis, and throughout the development of the patient-analyst relationship, one
becomes able to find the root of existing problems. Whether a child or adult is in a
state of security, anxiety, or distress is determined in large part by the accessibility
and responsiveness of his principal attachment figure. (Bowlby, 1973, p. 43) Initially
the analyst possessed an insensitive notion that the patient merely needed to grow-up and
relinquish his narcissistic demands being that he possessed an independent center of
initiative (Kohut, 1979, p. 12). Once it was acknowledged that Mr. Z was without this
important facet of self-structure, the analyst was able to work through issues in order
to abet the repair of Mr. Z's narcissistic self. The employment of the psychology of the
self in the second analysis led to a focus upon the importance of the self and to
relations with others in the environment (Luti, personal communication). All in all, this
allowed Mr. Z to discover the reason for his disturbance and learn to lead a happy and
healthy life.
Bibliography
Bibliography
Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and Loss: Separation. Vol. 2, reprinted, London: Pimlico, 
1998. p. 43
Kohut, H. (1978). The Disorders of the Self and Their Treatment. International Journal 
of Psychoanalysis, vol. 59, p. 413-425 
Kohut, H. (1979). The Two Analyses of Mr. Z. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 
vol. 60, p. 3-27
McWilliams, Nancy. (1994). Psychoanalytic Diagnosis. New York, Guilford Press, 
p. 174