Narcissism: its structures, systems and affects

Abstract

The growth of object relationships may be studied along either the developmental line of the discharge-object or that of the reflexive-object. The former is the well-known line of development from the need-satisfying object to the constant object and is a study of id-ego relationships. The developmental line of the reflexive-object, on the other hand, follows the history of the introjects and is a study of either ego-superego or ego-ego ideal relationships. It is the latter which constitutes the study of narcissism. The development of the ideal ego out of the ego nuclei leads eventually to the child's struggle to maintain a sense of omnipotence and to the narcissistic crisis. Out of this struggle the introjection of the idealized mother occurs which, as the ego ideal, continues the systemic line of development of narcissism. Various narcissistic states and affects such as shame, humiliation, depression, grandiosity, pomposity, arrogance, adoration and enthralment are the result of either hypercathexis of the introjects of the ego ideal (or of persisting remnants of the ideal ego) and the resulting conflict with the ego, or hypocathexis of the introjects and resulting dormancy of the system ego ideal.