Grandiose Fantasies Research Articles

Narcissistic Disorders of the Self as Addictions

Pathological narcissism is an addiction to Narcissistic Supply, the narcissist’s drug of choice. It is, therefore, not surprising that other addictive and reckless behaviours – workaholism, alcoholism, drug abuse, pathological gambling, compulsory shopping, or reckless driving – piggyback on this primary dependence. The narcissist – like other types of addicts – derives pleasure from these exploits. But they also sustain and enhance his grandiose fantasies as “unique”, “superior”, “entitled”, and “chosen”. They place him above the laws and pressures of the mundane and away from the humiliating and sobering demands of reality. They render him the centre of attention – but also place him in “splendid isolation” from the madding and inferior crowd. Such compulsory and wild pursuits provide a psychological exoskeleton. They are a substitute to quotidian existence. They afford the narcissist with an agenda, with timetables, goals, and faux achievements. The narcissist – the adrenaline junkie – feels that he is in control, alert, excited, and vital. He does not regard his condition as dependence. The narcissist firmly believes that he is in charge of his addiction, that he can quit at will and on short notice. The narcissist denies his cravings for fear of “losing face” and subverting the flawless, perfect, immaculate, and omnipotent image he projects. When caught red handed, the narcissist underestimates, rationalises, or intellectualises his addictive and reckless behaviours – converting them into an integral part of his grandiose and fantastic False Self

Narcissistic Disorders of the Self as Addictions

Pathological narcissism is an addiction to Narcissistic Supply, the narcissist’s drug of choice. It is, therefore, not surprising that other addictive and reckless behaviours – workaholism, alcoholism, drug abuse, pathological gambling, compulsory shopping, or reckless driving – piggyback on this primary dependence. The narcissist – like other types of addicts – derives pleasure from these exploits. But they also sustain and enhance his grandiose fantasies as “unique”, “superior”, “entitled”, and “chosen”. They place him above the laws and pressures of the mundane and away from the humiliating and sobering demands of reality. They render him the centre of attention – but also place him in “splendid isolation” from the madding and inferior crowd. Such compulsory and wild pursuits provide a psychological exoskeleton. They are a substitute to quotidian existence. They afford the narcissist with an agenda, with timetables, goals, and faux achievements. The narcissist – the adrenaline junkie – feels that he is in control, alert, excited, and vital. He does not regard his condition as dependence. The narcissist firmly believes that he is in charge of his addiction, that he can quit at will and on short notice. The narcissist denies his cravings for fear of “losing face” and subverting the flawless, perfect, immaculate, and omnipotent image he projects. When caught red handed, the narcissist underestimates, rationalises, or intellectualises his addictive and reckless behaviours – converting them into an integral part of his grandiose and fantastic False Self

Grandiose and entitled, but still fragile: A network analysis of pathological narcissistic traits

There is ongoing debate about the structure of pathological narcissism. Adopting a network approach, we investigate the core features of pathological narcissism and the nature of traits interconnections in a community sample (N = 944), considering also the effect of personality structure. Results suggest that grandiose fantasies, contingent self-esteem, and entitlement rage have a central role in defining pathological narcissism. Also, differences in interconnections between traits are found when considering individuals with different levels of personality structure. Our findings shed light on the structure and nature of pathological narcissism by showing the existence of both core and peripheral features, as well as their differential role in defining narcissistic manifestations at different levels of personality functioning.

Exploring the Relationship Between Narcissism and Extreme Altruism

Abstract Extreme altruism is defined as prosocial behavior that violates social norms or the law. Little research has been done on this phenomenon, although research into related areas suggests that, surprisingly, extreme altruistic activities may be associated with traits traditionally associated with narcissism. This relationship was explored by comparing members of the public, people involved in prosocial activities within socially and legally accepted realms, and members of the Real-Life Superhero (RLSH) movement. The RLSH movement is a subculture whose prosocial-directed activities often exceed social norms and legal constraints. These include patrolling and conducting community and citizen police work in superhero-inspired uniforms, which has on several occasions resulted in altercations with other civilians or with law enforcement. The results suggest that there is a relationship between certain traits within the narcissism spectrum and the proclivity to engage in extreme altruism. These traits include grandiose fantasy, self-sacrificing self-enhancement, and devaluing. Furthermore, these traits are expressed at significantly higher levels in people who engage in extreme altruism more often. Finally, a model based predominantly on narcissism indicated a strong ability to predict group membership among the three groups. The findings suggest that a reconceptualization that reflects the capacity of these traits to be expressed in a prosocial or antisocial behavior is needed to explain this relationship.

Neurotic personality dysfunctions as factors predisposing for reacting with suicidal ideation to intensive psychotherapy

IntroductionIdentifying patients’ risk of reacting with suicidal ideation (SI) to psychotherapy is an important clinical problem that calls for empirical verification.ObjectivesAnalysis of associations between patients’ initial neurotic personality dysfunctions not accompanied by SI and emergence of SI at the end of a course of intensive psychotherapy conducted in integrative approach with predominance of psychodynamic approach in a day hospital.MethodsNeurotic Personality Questionnaire KON-2006 and Life Inventory were completed by 680 patients at the time of admission to a psychotherapeutic day hospital due to neurotic, behavioral or personality disorders. Symptom Checklist KO “O” as a source of information about emergence of SI was completed both at the admission and at the end of the treatment. Among 466 patients without SI at the admission, in 4% SI occurred at the end of the treatment.ResultsA number of neurotic personality dysfunctions (demeanors declared) that significantly predisposed to SI emergence at the end of the treatment were found: physical aggression against close ones (P < 0.001), grandiose fantasies (P = 0.043), tendencies to resignation (P = 0.022) and resignation-related feeling of loss of life opportunities (P = 0.037), tendency to follow predominantly ones intuition (P = 0.035).ConclusionsIn patients who declared the above-mentioned demeanors increased risk of SI emergence than in others (10–30% vs. 4%) indicate that there are particular vulnerable areas of neurotic personality that require especially careful approach during intensive psychotherapy–dealing with those areas may result in distress or anxiety that may lead to SI.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Development of a Short Form of the Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory: the FFNI-SF.

The Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory (FFNI; Glover, Miller, Lynam, Crego, & Widiger, 2012) is a 148-item self-report inventory of 15 traits designed to assess the basic elements of narcissism from the perspective of a 5-factor model. The FFNI assesses both vulnerable (i.e., cynicism/distrust, need for admiration, reactive anger, and shame) and grandiose (i.e., acclaim seeking, arrogance, authoritativeness, entitlement, exhibitionism, exploitativeness, grandiose fantasies, indifference, lack of empathy, manipulativeness, and thrill seeking) variants of narcissism. The present study reports the development of a short-form version of the FFNI in 4 diverse samples (i.e., 2 undergraduate samples, a sample recruited from MTurk, and a clinical community sample) using item response theory. The validity of the resultant 60-item short form was compared against the validity of the full scale in the 4 samples at both the subscale level and the level of the grandiose and vulnerable composites. Results indicated that the 15 subscales remain relatively reliable, possess a factor structure identical to the structure of the long-form scales, and manifest correlational profiles highly similar to those of the long-form scales in relation to a variety of criterion measures, including basic personality dimensions, other measures of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, and indicators of externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. Grandiose and vulnerable composites also behave almost identically across the short- and long-form versions. It is concluded that the FFNI-Short Form (FFNI-SF) offers a well-articulated assessment of the basic traits comprising grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, particularly when assessment time is limited.

Narcissism and Defending Self-Esteem. An Exploratory Study based on Self-characterizations

The present qualitative study aims at investigating the role of socio-relational variables in the construction of threats to self-esteem, grandiosity, and relaxation in a non-clinical sample of 35 young university students. The work provides fresh experimental evidence of the structural analogy observed in clinical settings between constructions of threat to self-esteem and grandiose fantasies. We hypothesize that the relational dimension would be more strongly present than either biological or psychological dimensions.The results show that descriptions of relaxation differ significantly from their characterizations of the other two domains. Specifically we found greater continuity and narrative connection between the aspects of threat and grandiosity, while the domain of relaxation showed a more “isolated” pattern.

The many faces of narcissism: Narcissism factors and their predictive utility

Previous research has often portrayed narcissism as a unitary construct, however more recent research suggests it may be multidimensional. This study was conducted to examine the utility of two measures of narcissism – the Narcissistic Pathological Inventory and the Pathological Narcissism Inventory, in jointly assessing a broader range of narcissism content. The sample consisted of 220 undergraduate students. Eight factors were extracted from an exploratory analysis labeled: Contingent Self-Esteem, Grandiose Fantasy, Leadership/Authority, Devaluing the Self, Grandiose Exhibitionism, Manipulative, Entitlement, and Superiority. It was found that these narcissism factors had differing relationships with self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and stress. Although a higher-order factor structure did not have satisfactory fit, it is maintained that these eight factors reflect the two higher order dimensions of adaptive and maladaptive narcissism. It is recommended that future researchers construct their studies based on a multidimensional conceptualisation of narcissism, and use multiple narcissism measures.

The Impostor: Contribution to Ego Psychology of a Type of Psychopath

DR. DEUTSCH'S fascinating case study concerns itself with a variant of psychopathic personality known as the impostor. Her lengthy record of therapeutic contact with such an individual gives us an unusual longitudinal study of this disorder. Indeed, analysis of such types usually is terminated at the point of the first reality confrontation. The emphasis upon the role of ego identity may be compared with Novey's contribution in this volume. Moreover, the ultimate character type may be contrasted with Michael's construct of character disorder, also included among these readings. Dr. Deutsch's skill in depicting this peculiar flavor of human personality (she was the first to define the as-tf individual) is apparent throughout the article. The odd nature of the tie to reality in this disturbance is thoroughly examined. The concatenation of psychic forces involved in both extreme narcissism and its opposite, i.e., the need for others, makes for an orientation toward reality, but reality is viewed as a stage for the performer, with humanity as the admiring audience. The truly parasitic nature of the individual thus lies exposed; there is no real object libido since all ties to the outer world are intended only to extract gifts from it. These persons are seen as forever in pursuit of an identity which does justice to their narcissistic concept of themselves. The new identity serves, at the same time, as a denial of what must lie underneath —a passive, frightened, essentially hollow character structure. The pretending and posturing may be conceived of as a defense against anxiety and guilt which breaks down only when the individual is confronted with his own true identity. Dr. Deutsch speaks of this variation of ego structure as the nonego ego, an agency which seeks to force an unrealistic ego-ideal upon the outer world through identification with someone else's ego. The impostor usually appears to have some talent, on occasion unusual intellect, but he can satisfy his grandiose fantasies only through acting out.—EDITOR

Grandiose Fantasies and Low Self-Esteem: An Experimental Study

Grandiose states of mind could be an ineffective way to cope with low self-esteem. In fact, it is possible that grandiose fantasies would tend to induce doubts about personal worth and decrease self-esteem. This study explored whether grandiose fantasies help to cope with low self-esteem. The self-reported occurrence and unpleasantness of intrusive thoughts regarding the sense of exclusion, humiliation, and low self-esteem in non-clinical individuals were assessed during self-induced grandiose fantasies and self-induced relaxation. The occurrence and unpleasantness of low self-esteem intrusions were significantly higher during grandiose fantasies, suggesting that grandiose fantasy is ineffective at combating low self-esteem.

Interpersonal and Individual Factors in the Grandiose Fantasies and Threats to Self-esteem of A Non-clinical Sample

This study aimed to investigate whether interpersonal factors play a prominent role in the construction of nar- cissistic fantasies, by comparing memories of threat to self-esteem, grandiose fantasies and imaginary relaxing scenes. A non-clinical group of university students produced written descriptions of each of these three types of scene. The quali- tative features of the texts were analyzed and the contents were classified along three different dimensions: biological, psychological and interpersonal. Memories of threat to self-esteem and grandiose fantasies were found to be mainly interpersonal in content, while the relaxing scenarios were characterized by both relational and biological elements.

Contingent self-importance among pathological narcissists: Evidence from an implicit task

Pathological narcissists are thought to hold unstable, contingent views of their self-importance. They harbor grandiose fantasies about the self, but are vulnerable and hypersensitive as well. The present study ( N = 84) sought to provide evidence for this important set of clinical ideas. Following a manipulation priming dominant versus submissive self-views, a task developed to assess implicit self-importance of an interpersonal type was administered. As hypothesized, the manipulation and levels of pathological narcissism interacted to predict implicit self-importance. Implicit self-importance scores were unaffected by the priming manipulation at low levels of pathological narcissism, but were strongly affected at high levels of pathological narcissism. These results support clinical intuitions concerning pathological narcissism.

Minaccia dellautostima e fantasie grandiose nel narcisismo non patologico

The study explored the qualitative features of: a) memories of threat to self-esteem, b) grandiose fantasies and c) relaxing scenarios, experimentally induced in a non-clinical participant sample. A group of 103 young university students produced and transcribed personal memories of threat to self-esteem, grandiose fantasies and relaxing scenes. A five point scale was designed ad hoc to enable three independent raters to assess the biological, psychological and relational contents of each of the texts. Inter-rater agreement was satisfactory. Memories of threat to self-esteem and grandiose fantasies were mainly socio- relational, while relaxing scenarios were characterised by both relational and biological elements. With reference to the biological dimension, there was also significant correlation between memories of threat to self-esteem and grandiose fantasies.

Initial construction and validation of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory.

The construct of narcissism is inconsistently defined across clinical theory, social-personality psychology, and psychiatric diagnosis. Two problems were identified that impede integration of research and clinical findings regarding narcissistic personality pathology: (a) ambiguity regarding the assessment of pathological narcissism vs. normal narcissism and (b) insufficient scope of existing narcissism measures. Four studies are presented documenting the initial derivation and validation of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI). The PNI is a 52-item self-report measure assessing 7 dimensions of pathological narcissism spanning problems with narcissistic grandiosity (Entitlement Rage, Exploitativeness, Grandiose Fantasy, Self-sacrificing Self-enhancement) and narcissistic vulnerability (Contingent Self-esteem, Hiding the Self, Devaluing). The PNI structure was validated via confirmatory factor analysis. The PNI correlated negatively with self-esteem and empathy, and positively with shame, interpersonal distress, aggression, and borderline personality organization. Grandiose PNI scales were associated with vindictive, domineering, intrusive, and overly-nurturant interpersonal problems, and vulnerable PNI scales were associated with cold, socially avoidant, and exploitable interpersonal problems. In a small clinical sample, PNI scales exhibited significant associations with parasuicidal behavior, suicide attempts, homicidal ideation, and several aspects of psychotherapy utilization.

The Prevalence of Khat –Induced Psychotic Reactions among College Students: A Case in Jimma University College of Agriculture

As it may prolong energy and mental alertness, khat has gained popularity among college students. However, many undesirable psychoactive effects khat use are not reported. A dorm-to-dorm survey was carried out from May 5-15, 2006 to investigate the prevalence of khat –induced psychotic reactions among habitual khat chewer students of Jimma University College of Agriculture (JUCA). A total of 210 male students who are habitual khat chewers were identified through dorm-to-dorm survey and who were voluntary to participate were taken for the study. The prevalence of short-lived psychiatric manifestations and other psychological problems following the use of khat are clearly reported by some subjects. Hallucinations are reported by 7.1%, depression by 43.8% and 33.3% of the habitual khat chewers reported the frequent incidence of anxiety following the euphoric sessions. The majority (65.7%) of the samples also mentioned that they are mostly subjected to grandiose fantasies. While 33.3% of the habitual Khat chewers reported the frequency of insomnia, the majority (40.5%) responded that they are free from lack of sleep. Out of 107 sexually active subjects, only 28(16.7%) reported the frequent episode of loss of sexual desire during khat use.42.9% of the habitual khat chewers started khat chewing practice so as to increase their concentration and to help them stay alert through the night. The other 32.9% mentioned that they started it because their friends urged them, while the remaining subjects began khat chewing because of some religious and cultural reasons. While 40% of the subjects are now using khat to overcome stressful academic works, the other 31.4% reported that they are using khat mostly to enjoy with their friends. The rest 23.8% of the habitual khat chewers reported that they are using khat most of the time to be free from anxiety. The case study, involved in this research, had observable and frequent psychiatric manifestations. The subject\'s hospital record showed that he didn\'t have a past psychiatric history or family history of psychiatric illness. As he is subjected to khat–induced psychoses, he was advised to quit khat chewing so that the resolution of symptoms usually occurs within a short period. However, due to his inability to withstand the withdrawal symptoms (such as insomnia, irritability, weakness, dizziness, and the like), he could stop khat use. He was living with clear psychotic reactions by the time this research was conducted. Generally, this research findings implied that khat use has some potential dangers; so, its use needs to be discouraged. Especially, individuals with some psychological disorders should be careful to avoid it, for it may worsen depressive, manic, or psychotic behaviors. Ethiopian Journal of Education and Science Vol. 2 (1) 2006: pp. 63-84

Aestheticism and Creativity in 1900: The Legend of the Pianist on the Ocean by Giuseppe Tornatore (Italy, 1998)

The authors consider Giuseppe Tornatore's film from a psychoanalytic perspective as a metaphor of the difficult individuation-separation process of Max. He tells the lifestory of his friend Nineteen Hundred, the main character of the film, a virtuoso pianist who spent all his life on board a transatlantic ship in motion between the old continent and the new. Brought up by a black stoker in the deep noisy belly of the ship, music becomes, for him, the substitute for his unkown mother's body, his only raison d'être and the structural aspect of his personality. In fact, he can never abandon the transatlantic, where he dies in the final explosion. Max, the trumpeter, telling his story to the old instruments dealer, works through the loss of his grandiose fantasy of perfection and omnipotence, represented by his friend Nineteen Hundred, and he finds a safer dimension of creativity and life. As in the analytic encounter, the possibility to narrate one's story to someone capable of listening and holding, opens the way to the psychic change. Nineteen Hundred, on the contrary, represents the destructive/split part of the personality, unable to leave the grandiosity of the infant Self, compelled to die, becuase it is linked to primary fusionality and Ego Ideal.

Religious Experience and the Transformation of Narcissism: Kohutian Theory and the Life of St. Francis of Assisi

Kohut proposed that the narcissistic personality could be transformed in the therapeutic environment by an empathic approach on the part of the analyst. Within the analytic setting, specific transference phenomena arise spontaneously, allowing the analysand to confront infantile grandiose fantasies and unresolved narcissistic wounds. Using the story of the life of St. Francis of Assisi, this paper illustrates how religious experience––specifically the ongoing encounter with a transcendent other––can provide the “therapeutic” milieu in which the mirroring, idealizing, and twinship transferences described by Kohut can arise, and within which pathological narcissism can be transformed into the “cosmic narcissism” of the healthy personality.

Identifying criteria for narcissistic personality disorder

The authors report an exploratory effort to identify useful criteria for narcissistic personality disorder. They used the semistructured Diagnostic Interview for Narcissism to assess 24 narcissistic patients and 58 others on 33 characteristics imputed to pathological narcissism. The following characteristics were significantly more common among the patients with narcissistic personality disorder: a sense of superiority, a sense of uniqueness, exaggeration of talents, boastful and pretentious behavior, grandiose fantasies, self-centered and self-referential behavior, need for attention and admiration, arrogant and haughty behavior, and high achievement. The results provide an empirical basis for developing an improved set of criteria for narcissistic personality disorder.

Psychological Assessment of an Artist and Impostor

A Rorschach record and a narrative poem are examined to determine how imagination expresses the psychological trauma of being exposed as an impostor. The subject had been trained as a medical corpsman and deceived people under the grandiose fantasy of being a doctor. The role of the impostor physician is seen as an imaginative identity that was designed with an adaptive purpose. A Jungian analysis of his suicide attempt and the Rorschach suggest that the impostor role was a masculine compensatory fantasy that served as a counterforce to negative maternal imagery, linked to death, that is present in his imagination.

A Jungian Approach to Grandiosity:

A case is described in which the analyst is guided by dreams and other symbolic communications from the patient to abandon his overly generous empathic stance in favor of a stream of punishing interpretations. The patient responds by gradually abandoning her grandiose fantasies, recognizing her anger, and acccpting her responsibilities and limitations.