In-Depth Analysis of Narcissism

The Mirroring Function

The narcissist needs a mirror in order to see themselves as what they believe they are. This mirror is you. Suitable candidates include individuals with histrionic, dependent, or borderline personality disorder with a strong narcissistic component.

What the narcissist sees is not you – they see themselves as they believe they are. You, however, do not mirror back “look how beautiful I am,” but rather “look how beautiful YOU are.”

They therefore need someone who mirrors their “beauty, grandiosity” – what a figure they cut, what a master and protector they are. Their inflated self is confirmed, making it feel real.

The narcissist is thereby validated and experiences a kind of omnipotence (all-powerfulness).

Freud’s Concept of Narcissism

According to Freud, the term “narcissism” refers to the process or state in which the own ego is cathected with libido and thereby becomes, as it were, a sexual object.

Primary Narcissism

Primary narcissism is the type of libido organisation of the pregenital phase in which the Ego is the sole object of libido.

Every infant passes through a primary narcissistic phase in the first months of life. The own body is then the sexual object; libido – life energy – is concentrated upon it. At this time, the infant cannot yet distinguish between itself and its environment – the differentiation between self and not-self has not yet occurred.

Primary Narcissistic Disturbances in Adults

In adults with primary narcissistic disturbances, similar tendencies can be observed. They lack existential security, basic trust. They fear “merging” with their environment (in contrast to Borderline Personality Disorder). In a partnership, they find it nearly impossible to differentiate their self from the self of their partner.

Secondary Narcissism

Secondary narcissism, on the other hand, is a regressive re-cathexis of the own Ego with libido following a withdrawal of libido from external objects.

When in later life one enters into object relationships (with things or people), but gives them up due to a narcissistic injury and redirects all libido back to oneself, then secondary narcissism is present.

Self-love here is a reaction to a frustrating environment or psychological injury. The adult with secondary narcissistic disturbance has low self-esteem, is insecure, and easily wounded. Their environment and their partner exist primarily to provide narcissistic self-validation.

Connection to Borderline Personality Disorder

This also applies to Borderline Personality Disorder, since individuals with Borderline always carry pathological narcissism within them, due to the developmental timeline:

1. The narcissistic stage is traversed by the child first
2. Only thereafter does the borderline disorder develop

Close Connection

You can see how closely these disorders are connected. Every child has the narcissistic need to be seen, understood, taken seriously, and respected by their mother.

The Role of the Mother

The child depends on being able to access the mother in the first weeks and months of life, to use her, to be mirrored by her. Only in this way can the true self develop in the growing child.

But if the mother is also narcissistically disturbed – perhaps because she did not grow up in such an atmosphere – she cannot fulfil the mirroring function for her child. She will even, completely unconsciously and contrary to her good intentions, seek to satisfy her own narcissistic needs through her child.

The child thereby introjects the expectations and needs of the mother and, because it depends on the mother and does not want to lose her love, cannot develop and differentiate its true self.

This leads to the development of an “as-if personality” – the false self. The real feelings are not integrated into the developing personality.

Kernberg’s Structural Model

Otto Kernberg distinguishes between three personality organisations:

Neurotic Structure

Characterised by:

• An integrated concept of the self and the “significant other”
• Predominance of repression as a defence mechanism
• Excellent “reality testing”

Borderline Structure

Characteristics:

• Identity diffusion – splitting of the concept of the self
• Absence of an integrated concept of the “significant other”
• Predominance of primitive defence mechanisms (splitting, denial, devaluation, projective identification)
• Temporarily weakened reality testing

Psychotic Structure

• Generally diminished reality testing

Kernberg’s Classification

From the perspective of personality organisation, Kernberg classifies narcissistic disorders under the Borderline category.

The Special Feature of Narcissism

According to Kernberg, narcissistic personality disorders have developed an integrated, albeit highly pathological grandiose self – in contrast to the person with Borderline.

Kohut’s Classification of Self-Pathology

Heinz Kohut distinguishes:

Disorder	Characteristics
Psychoses	Permanent or long-lasting fragmentation, weakening, or severe distortion of the self
Borderline states	Self as in psychoses, but concealed by more or less effective defence structures
Schizoid and paranoid personalities	Self as in psychoses, but schizoid or paranoid defence structures
Narcissistic personality disorders	Temporary fragmentation, weakening, or severe distortion of the self, manifested through hypersensitivity to disregard, hypochondria, or depression
Narcissistic behavioural disorder	Self as in narcissistic PD, primarily manifested through perversion, delinquency, or addiction

Differentiation from Borderline Personality Disorder

This does not mean that every narcissist has Borderline. However, it is the reason why narcissistic personality disorder is not listed separately in ICD-10 (only as F60.80 under “Other specific personality disorders”).

Common Misdiagnoses

What is certain is that Borderline Personality Disorder always contains a strong or pathological narcissism, and that many diagnoses of narcissistic personality disorder are simply incorrect, as a borderline disorder is actually present.

See Also

• Psychodynamic Model – Visualisation of the structures
• ICD-10 Criteria – Diagnostic criteria
• Narcissism Overview – Back to the main page