Identifying and Understanding the Narcissistic Personality

Elsa F. Ronningstam0195148738, 9780195148732

This book is an attempt to translate studies of narcissism, that is, of specific narcissistic features and NPD, into the daily clinical practice of diagnosing and understanding people with disordered narcissism. In other words, this book represents an attempt to bridge the gaps between psychoanalytic, psychological, and psychiatric studies and to provide a first integrated clinical and empirical guideline to assist clinicians in their work with narcissistic patients. The long tradition of psychoanalytic observations and theory building on individual psychopathology, the academic psychological laboratory ratings of human functioning within a relatively normal range, and the psychiatric and psychosocial research efforts to find evidence of generalized and prototypical features have all interfaced in the studies of narcissism. The diversity and tension between these different methods offer a creative and very promising opportunity to enhance our knowledge and understanding. They also enable a choice between methods of observation and verification that can be better adjusted to the complex nature of narcissism and to individual variations.