Pathological Narcissism In Childhood

Abstract

Matt's analysis yields a number of theoretical and clinical implications. It demonstrates that narcissistic character pathology can exist in childhood and shows how family dynamics may contribute. The clearly defensive function of Matt's pathology and his later progress through normal infantile narcissism toward further development suggest that the pathogenesis of narcissistic pathology resides neither in regression to an infantile position nor in untamed infantile narcissism. Rather, as the case demonstrates, narcissistic pathology actually reflects a pathological formation of the self used for defensive purposes. Matt's analysis also shows how such pathology in children may be effectively resolved through interpretation. Finally, the analysis demonstrates the peculiarities of the countertransference in such cases and how they may be pivotal in the course of treatment.

The Cracked Mirror: Features of Narcissistic Personality Disorder in Children

“…Egan and Kernberg, 13 Ferreira, 14 Rinsley, 15 Cohen, 16 Beren, 17 Bernstein, 18 and Imbesi 19 wrote about narcissistic traits in children from the psychoanalytic perspective as well. They proposed theoretical explanations for the distinctive characteristics of the disorder including grandiosity, negative and aggressive transference, attachment diffi culties, boundary disturbances between self, and other and primitive defenses such as splitting and devaluation.…”

The Self and Object Representations of Narcissistically Disturbed Children: An Empirical Investigation.

“…Work with the parents, though largely unsuccessful, was aimed at understanding that their relationship with him was based largely on his fulfilling their own needs and identifications with him (e.g., as a misunderstood child prodigy). (K. Weise, 1992, unpublished case material) In narcissistic children such as Kevin, grandiose fantasies and self-absorption serve to maintain a pathological equilibrium that interferes with differentiation and integration (Egan & Kernberg, 1984). These children are seriously compromised in accomplishing the developmental task of acquiring a relatively stable self-esteem (Bleiberg, 1984) and, though they may appear haughty and self-assured, are prone to feeling like worthless failures.…”

“…scarcity of developmental and clinical descriptions to facilitate conceptualizations and a hesitation to diagnose characterological disorders in children (Egan & Kernberg, 1984). In addition, a great number of these children are treated only for their overlying Axis I disorders (with medication, short-term treatment, etc.…”

“…), and therefore any underlying personality factors are left unaddressed (Rinsley, 1980). Although a few authors have examined narcissistic traits and disturbances as they emerge in children (Bene, 1979;Beren, 1998;Bleiberg, 1984Bleiberg, , 1988Egan & Kernberg, 1984;Rinsley, 1980;Wilson, 1988), and their clinical descriptions can be remarkably consistent, there is not yet an agreed-on definition of a narcissistic disorder in childhood.…”

Narcissistic adolescents' object relations.

“…The parents of adolescents who have narcissistic character disorders have been found to exhibit failures in self-esteem regulation, to expect perfection, and to use their adolescents to preserve their own psychic structure (Berkowitz, Shapiro, Zinner, & Shapiro, 1974). By their incessant need to be the center of attention, such parents unwittingly tip the scale of the adolescent's narcissistic balance in favor of a falsely inflated self-image that is incompatible with realistic aspirations (Bios, 1979;Egan & Kernberg, 1984). Kohut's (1971Kohut's ( , 1972 work schematized narcissistic parents' inability to facilitate idealizations and their reluctance to permit: any discovery of their own shortcomings.…”