Lecture 1 of [[Keith Campbell]]'s [[PA On Narcissism]] course on [[Peterson Academy]]. ## Origin of the term "narcissism" Narcissism, the term, is derived from the myth of Narcissus as most famously told by Ovid in Metamorphoses. Narcissus was born pretty but prophesied to have a good life only in so far as he doesn't know himself. Narcissus falls in love with himself (his reflection in the water), but could not reach himself, and dies and turns into a day lily—white petals with a yellow center, known as the narcissus flower. Echo, who loves Narcissus, dies upon hearing this news and turns into a spirited voice—the echo in the cave. Dr. Joseph Guslain, in the 1850s, was the first instance (in so far as Campbell's observations are right) of using narcissism in psychological literature calling it the Mania of Narcissus, describing it as "usually manifested under the form of a tranquil mania in which we behold the patient infatuated with his beauty, his charms, his wit, his dress, his talents, titles, and birth" which somewhat captures narcissism as entitlement. Later in the 1800s, Havelock Ellis saw narcissism in a sexual light. Freud wrote the pivotal piece called "On Narcissism." Freud saw narcissism as a normal developmental phase. He saw narcissism as identification with the ideal self. The term gets popularized. In the early 1900s narcissism slowly gets recognized more as a personality trait. Freud saw narcissism as a personality type. Henry Murray made the first self-report questionnaire to measure narcissism—he called narcism. In the 70s and 80s, the narcissistic personality inventory, which is the most commonly used narcissism measure was created. The 60s and the 70s saw narcissism gets seen as a personality disorder, with the representative works being Heinz Kohut "Analysis of the Self" and Kernberg "Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism." At around the same time, Tom Wolfe wrote a self-centeredness of culture, which was the first use of narcissism in the social sense. A later, more famous example, would be Culture of Narcissism by Christopher Lasch. Keith Campbell himself and Jean Twenge also wrote a book called The Narcissism Epidemic. ## Ways of conceptualizing narcissism 1. Narcissism as a normal personality trait 2. Narcissism as a clinical disorder 3. Narcissism as a sociological variable ## Definition of Narcissism There are three primary qualities that define narcissism: 1. Inflated positive view of self 2. Lack of emotional closeness, empathy, or warmth 3. Self-regulation strategies The DSM defines it as "a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy." ## Three Faces of Narcissism 1. Grandiose narcissism — offensive form of narcissism 2. Vulnerable narcissism — defensive form of narcissism 3. Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) Others (won't be explored in depth in this course): Communal narcissism—superior moral view of self; Jochen Gebauer developed the Communal Narcissism Scale, and Collective narcissism—inflated positive view of group. ## Grandiose narcissism They are always searching for opportunities to self-enhance, in accordance to their inflated view of themselves. ### Self-report traits that describe a grandiose narcissist - Acclaimed, - high status, - prestigious, - powerful, and - prominent. They are highly agentic. ## Vulnerable narcissism They are often neurotic, anxious, and depressed because people don't confer the amount of status they think they deserve. They always think they are under-appreciated. Self-report traits: - Underappreciated, - insecure, - ashamed, - envious, - resentful, and - self-absorbed. "I feel bad because I am not getting everything I deserve." ## Grandiose vs Vulnerable - Manipulative vs craving - Overt vs covert - Exhibitionistic vs closet - Thick skinned vs thin skinned - Oblivious vs hypervigilant - Arrogant vs shy - Classical vs diffident ## Scales of measure for narcissism - Narcissism Personality Inventory (NPI) — 40-item variation being the most popular - Single Item Narcissism Scale (SINS) — shortest; self-identification with the term "narcissist (egotistical, self-focused, vain)" - Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale (HSNS) — for vulnerable narcissist - Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory - NARC — breaks narcissism into admiration vs rivalry ## Where does narcissism come from 40%-50% is genetic. 10%-20% is parenting, which is not a lot. Parenting actually bare relatively little effect on personality. The rest 20%-30% is noise. ## Confusing terms to compare to - [[Understanding Self Esteem|Self esteem]] - Entitlement—This is an aspect of narcissism. For its items, view Psychological Entitlement Scale - Dark Triad - Energized Triad - Light Triad --- Back to: [[PA On Narcissism]] Next Lecture: