Narcissism Essay Research Paper In the analysis

Narcissism Essay, Research Paper

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 thi