Healthy narcissism
Encyclopedia
'Some psychoanalysts and writers make a distinction between "healthy narcissism" and "unhealthy narcissism"...the healthy narcissist being someone who has a real sense of self-esteem that can enable them to leave their imprint on the world, but who can also share in the emotional life of others'.
', and thought that 'one part of self-regard is primary - the residue of infantile narcissism; another part arises out of the omnipotence that is corroborated by experience (the fulfilment of the ego ideal)'. Freud explored the contrasting situation when the normal sense of narcissistic satisfaction went awry in "Mourning and Melancholia": 'the patient represents his ego to us as worthless, incapable of any achievement and morally despicable...an extraordinary diminution in his self-regard...[a] narcissistic blow to the ego'.
Otto Fenichel
summed up the first psychoanalytic half-century by seeing the normality as marked by the post-Oedipal internalisation of 'conscience (regulating inner narcissistic supplies)', although conceding that 'even normal people need a certain amount of external narcissistic supplies'; only in the immature or regressed character 'pervaded by narcissistic needs' and dominated by narcissistic injury did he find the abnormal narcissism wherein 'the striving for sexual satisfaction is still condensed with the striving for getting narcissistic supplies in order to maintain self-esteem'.
, aided by infant development and child-abuse research, enfranchised the infant and child in a way that had been unprecedented in human history. The age of "normal narcissism" and normal narcissistic entitlement had arrived'. In 'trying to account for what had happened to narcissistic patients to make them so, he generalised about what happened in everybody's development, and...went on to inventing a whole "psychology of the self
"'.
Kohut considered of what he termed 'archaic narcissism...[that] these positions constitute necessary and healthy maturational steps'; if early narcissistic needs could be adequately met, the individual would move on to a 'mature form of positive self-esteem; self-confidence'.
challenged Kohut's belief in positive narcissism, arguing that 'we do not get positive narcissism without self-hatred'. He concluded that 'Kohut does not seem to be aware of this because he defines narcissism without this inner negative critic. I think this is why in some recent literature a distinction is made between negative narcissism and positive narcissism. As I said earlier, I do not think they ever exist dissociated from one another'.
However he conceded that it 'may be just a semantic issue, in that someone talking of positive narcissism, for instance, may be talking about self-esteem or self-confidence....it makes some sort of sense to talk of "healthy selfishness". On the other hand, it is meaningless to talk about healthy self-centredness...a tremendous confusion of tongues'.
as an emotional-immune system
for safeguarding the familiarity and the well-being of the individual against invasion by foreign sensations (1998) and small differences
(Freud 1929-1930) was possible.
The innate immunization vacillates between well-being, in the presence of the familiar, and alertness as well as vulnerability
, facing the stranger. From childhood
, the familiar is tempting and the strangeness is intolerable from within (illness) or from outside (other
ness). Hence, narcissistic immunization might be compared to the activity of the biological
immunological system that identifies the familiar protein
of the cell and rejects the foreign protein (bacteria, virus).
Thus, from infancy to adulthood, getting hurt emotion
ally is inevitable because the other, even if he or she is a familiar person and dear to us, is still a separate individual that asserts his otherness. The healthy narcissist succeeds in updating narcissistic data (such as acquaintance with the unfamiliar) and in enabling the recovery of self-familiarity from injury and psychic pains. Healthy narcissism activates immunologic process of restoring the stabilization of cohesiveness, integrity
and vigorousness of the self and the restoration of the relationship
with the other, despite its otherness.
Impaired functioning of narcissism fails to activate these narcissistic processes and arouses destructive reactions. Thus, the individual steadfastly maintains his anger toward the other that offended him, and might sever contact with him, even to the extent of exacting violent revenge, although this other might be dear to him, possibly leading through impaired narcissism to fragility and vulnerability of the self, to immature individuation, narcissistic disorders and pathological phenomena.
The healthy narcissism contributes to improving emotional intelligence
as part of the process of adapting to changes; to intensifying curiosity and investigating the environment; to relating to otherness, and for enhancing 'joie de vivre'.*
In a separate but related distinction, 'Michael Maccoby
, in his fascinating book The Productive Narcissist, makes a strong case for the positive side of a narcissistic character...[&] believes that the natural energy and individuality of narcissists is the key to much industrial progress and innovation'.
According to Wendy T. Behary, such 'healthy narcissism contains the seeds of assertiveness
and self-respect'. It is clear that 'narcissism has robust value for children', and that 'many successful people exist within the domain of well-adjusted, or healthy, narcissism'. One result of successful therapy may be the regaining of 'a quiet pleasure in being one's self...a sort of pleased feeling, nothing superior...a spontaneous relaxed enjoyment, a primitive joie de vivre native to the organism'.
The undoubted abuses of pernicious narcissism should not blind us to the necessity of healthy narcissism; and it has been suggested indeed that we learn to think in terms of a narcissistic 'continuum, with stable narcissism closest to healthy narcissism and the destructive narcissistic pattern closest to pathological narcissism'.
Freud and normal narcissism
'Freud said that narcissism was a natural part of the human makeup, but also a characteristic that if taken to extremes can prevent us from having meaningful relationships'. He considered that 'the self-regarding attitude in normal people...has a specially intimate dependence on narcissistic libidoLibido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
', and thought that 'one part of self-regard is primary - the residue of infantile narcissism; another part arises out of the omnipotence that is corroborated by experience (the fulfilment of the ego ideal)'. Freud explored the contrasting situation when the normal sense of narcissistic satisfaction went awry in "Mourning and Melancholia": 'the patient represents his ego to us as worthless, incapable of any achievement and morally despicable...an extraordinary diminution in his self-regard...[a] narcissistic blow to the ego'.
Otto Fenichel
Otto Fenichel
Otto Fenichel was a psychoanalyst of the so-called "second generation".Otto Fenichel started studying medicine in 1915 in Vienna. Already as a very young man, when still in school, he was attracted by the circle of psychoanalysts around Freud...
summed up the first psychoanalytic half-century by seeing the normality as marked by the post-Oedipal internalisation of 'conscience (regulating inner narcissistic supplies)', although conceding that 'even normal people need a certain amount of external narcissistic supplies'; only in the immature or regressed character 'pervaded by narcissistic needs' and dominated by narcissistic injury did he find the abnormal narcissism wherein 'the striving for sexual satisfaction is still condensed with the striving for getting narcissistic supplies in order to maintain self-esteem'.
Kohut: narcissistic entitlement
The later twentieth century saw a process whereby 'KohutHeinz Kohut
Heinz Kohut was an Austrian-born American psychoanalyst best known for his development of Self psychology, an influential school of thought within psychodynamic/psychoanalytic theory which helped transform the modern practice of analytic and dynamic treatment approaches.-Early life:Kohut was born...
, aided by infant development and child-abuse research, enfranchised the infant and child in a way that had been unprecedented in human history. The age of "normal narcissism" and normal narcissistic entitlement had arrived'. In 'trying to account for what had happened to narcissistic patients to make them so, he generalised about what happened in everybody's development, and...went on to inventing a whole "psychology of the self
Self psychology
Self Psychology is a school of psychoanalytic theory and therapy created by Heinz Kohut and developed in the United States at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. Self psychology explains psychopathology as being the result of disrupted or unmet developmental needs...
"'.
Kohut considered of what he termed 'archaic narcissism...[that] these positions constitute necessary and healthy maturational steps'; if early narcissistic needs could be adequately met, the individual would move on to a 'mature form of positive self-esteem; self-confidence'.
Positive narcissism/healthy selfishness
Neville SymingtonNeville Symington
Neville Symington, a member of the Middle Group of British Psychoanalysts, 'has trodden a long and interesting path...tak[ing] him from his birthplace in Portugal, via England, to Australia, and with membership of the Port Wine Trade, the Catholic Church, the Tavistock Clinic, and the British...
challenged Kohut's belief in positive narcissism, arguing that 'we do not get positive narcissism without self-hatred'. He concluded that 'Kohut does not seem to be aware of this because he defines narcissism without this inner negative critic. I think this is why in some recent literature a distinction is made between negative narcissism and positive narcissism. As I said earlier, I do not think they ever exist dissociated from one another'.
However he conceded that it 'may be just a semantic issue, in that someone talking of positive narcissism, for instance, may be talking about self-esteem or self-confidence....it makes some sort of sense to talk of "healthy selfishness". On the other hand, it is meaningless to talk about healthy self-centredness...a tremendous confusion of tongues'.
Solan's healthy narcissism
Ronnie Solan uses the metaphor of narcissismNarcissism
Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory, a mental illness, a social or cultural problem, or simply a personality trait...
as an emotional-immune system
Immune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
for safeguarding the familiarity and the well-being of the individual against invasion by foreign sensations (1998) and small differences
Narcissism of small differences
The narcissism of small differences is a term coined by Sigmund Freud in 1917, based on the earlier work of British anthropologist Ernest Crawley. 'Crawley, in language which differs only slightly from the current terminology of psychoanalysis, declares that each individual is separated from others...
(Freud 1929-1930) was possible.
The innate immunization vacillates between well-being, in the presence of the familiar, and alertness as well as vulnerability
Vulnerability
Vulnerability refer to the susceptibility of a person, group, society, sex or system to physical or emotional injury or attack. The term can also refer to a person who lets their guard down, leaving themselves open to censure or criticism...
, facing the stranger. From childhood
Childhood
Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
, the familiar is tempting and the strangeness is intolerable from within (illness) or from outside (other
Other
The Other or Constitutive Other is a key concept in continental philosophy; it opposes the Same. The Other refers, or attempts to refer, to that which is Other than the initial concept being considered...
ness). Hence, narcissistic immunization might be compared to the activity of the biological
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
immunological system that identifies the familiar protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
of the cell and rejects the foreign protein (bacteria, virus).
Thus, from infancy to adulthood, getting hurt emotion
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
ally is inevitable because the other, even if he or she is a familiar person and dear to us, is still a separate individual that asserts his otherness. The healthy narcissist succeeds in updating narcissistic data (such as acquaintance with the unfamiliar) and in enabling the recovery of self-familiarity from injury and psychic pains. Healthy narcissism activates immunologic process of restoring the stabilization of cohesiveness, integrity
Integrity
Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions...
and vigorousness of the self and the restoration of the relationship
Intimate relationship
An intimate relationship is a particularly close interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Physical intimacy is characterized by romantic or passionate love and attachment, or sexual activity. The term is also sometimes used euphemistically for a sexual...
with the other, despite its otherness.
Impaired functioning of narcissism fails to activate these narcissistic processes and arouses destructive reactions. Thus, the individual steadfastly maintains his anger toward the other that offended him, and might sever contact with him, even to the extent of exacting violent revenge, although this other might be dear to him, possibly leading through impaired narcissism to fragility and vulnerability of the self, to immature individuation, narcissistic disorders and pathological phenomena.
The healthy narcissism contributes to improving emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is a skill or ability in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. Various models and definitions have been proposed of which the ability and trait EI models are the most...
as part of the process of adapting to changes; to intensifying curiosity and investigating the environment; to relating to otherness, and for enhancing 'joie de vivre'.*
Impact of healthy v destructive narcissistic managers
Lubit compared healthily narcissistic managers versus destructively narcissistic managers for their long-term impact on organizations.| Characteristic | Healthy Narcissism | Destructive Narcissism |
|---|---|---|
| Self-confidence | High outward self-confidence Self-confidence The socio-psychological concept of self-confidence relates to self-assuredness in one's personal judgment, ability, power, etc., sometimes manifested excessively.Being confident in yourself is infectious if you present yourself well, others will want to follow in your foot steps towards... in line with reality |
Grandiose |
| Desire for power, wealth and admiration | May enjoy power | Pursues power at all costs, lacks normal inhibitions in its pursuit |
| Relationships | Real concern for others and their ideas; does not exploit or devalue others | Concerns limited to expressing socially appropriate response when convenient; devalues and exploits others without remorse Remorse Remorse is an emotional expression of personal regret felt by a person after he or she has committed an act which they deem to be shameful, hurtful, or violent. Remorse is closely allied to guilt and self-directed resentment... |
| Ability to follow a consistent path | Has values; follows through on plans | Lacks values; easily bored; often changes course |
| Foundation | Healthy childhood with support for self-esteem Self-esteem Self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame: some would distinguish how 'the self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, the... and appropriate limits on behaviour towards others |
Traumatic childhood undercutting true sense of self-esteem and/or learning that he/she doesn't need to be considerate of others |
In a separate but related distinction, 'Michael Maccoby
Michael Maccoby
Michael Maccoby is a psychoanalyst and anthropologist globally recognized as an expert on leadership for his research, writing and projects to improve organizations and work...
, in his fascinating book The Productive Narcissist, makes a strong case for the positive side of a narcissistic character...[&] believes that the natural energy and individuality of narcissists is the key to much industrial progress and innovation'.
Pleasure in being one's self
Narcissism has become something of a postmodern bugbear, almost demonised in what has become known as the culture of narcissism. In reaction, there has been a growing emphasis upon the fact that 'we all need a bit of narcissism - a bit of self-centredness, a bit of overwhelming self-regard - to be able to do anything, to feel good about ourselves, to impose ourselves a little'.According to Wendy T. Behary, such 'healthy narcissism contains the seeds of assertiveness
Assertiveness
Assertiveness is a particular mode of communication. Dorland's Medical Dictionary defines assertiveness as:During the second half of the 20th century, assertiveness was increasingly singled out as a behavioral skill taught by many personal development experts, behavior therapists, and cognitive...
and self-respect'. It is clear that 'narcissism has robust value for children', and that 'many successful people exist within the domain of well-adjusted, or healthy, narcissism'. One result of successful therapy may be the regaining of 'a quiet pleasure in being one's self...a sort of pleased feeling, nothing superior...a spontaneous relaxed enjoyment, a primitive joie de vivre native to the organism'.
The undoubted abuses of pernicious narcissism should not blind us to the necessity of healthy narcissism; and it has been suggested indeed that we learn to think in terms of a narcissistic 'continuum, with stable narcissism closest to healthy narcissism and the destructive narcissistic pattern closest to pathological narcissism'.