Narcissism Psychosis And Delusions & How To Discipline A Narcissistic Child
Narcissism Psychosis And Delusions
Grandiosity is one of the most prominent symptoms of pathological narcissism (the Narcissistic Personality Disorder). Grandiose fantasies (megalomaniac delusions of grandeur) pervade the narcissist's personality. They are the reason the narcissist believes he is entitled to special treatment that is usually out of proportion to his actual accomplishments. The Grandiosity Gap is the chasm that separates the narcissist's self-image (as reified by his False Self) from reality.
When Narcissistic Supply is low, the narcissist de-compensates and acts out in various ways. Narcissists frequently have psychotic micro-episodes during therapy and when they sustain narcissistic injuries during a life crisis. Can the narcissist, however, "go over the edge"? Do narcissists ever develop psychosis?
First, some terminology:
The DSM-IV-TR defines psychosis as "restricted to delusions or prominent hallucinations, with the hallucinations occurring in the absence of insight into their pathological nature."
And what are hallucinations and delusions?
A delusion is defined as "a false belief based on incorrect inference about external reality that is firmly sustained despite what almost everyone else believes and despite incontrovertible and obvious proof or evidence to the contrary."
A hallucination is defined as a "sensory perception that has the compelling sense of reality of a true perception but occurs in the absence of external stimulation of the relevant sensory organ."
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Granted, the narcissist's grasp on reality is shaky (narcissists sometimes fail the reality test). To be sure, narcissists frequently appear to believe in their own confabulations. They are technically delusional because they are unaware of the pathological nature and origin of their self-delusions (though they rarely suffer from hallucinations, disorganised speech, or disorganised or catatonic behaviour). Narcissists appear to be psychotic in the strictest sense of the word.
However, this is not the case. There is a distinction to be made between benign (though deeply ingrained) self-deception and even malignant con-artistry – and "losing it."
Pathological narcissism should not be confused with psychosis because:
The narcissist is usually fully aware of the distinction between true and false, real and make-believe, invented and existing, right and wrong. The narcissist consciously chooses one version of events, an exaggerated narrative, a fairy-tale existence, a "what-if" counterfactual life. He has a strong emotional attachment to his personal myth. The narcissist prefers fiction to reality – but he never loses sight of the fact that it is all a lie.
Throughout, the narcissist is in complete command of his faculties, aware of his options, and goal-oriented. His actions are deliberate and purposeful. He is a delusory manipulator, and his delusions serve his stratagems. As a result, he has the chameleon-like ability to change guises, conduct, and convictions on the fly.
Narcissistic delusions are rarely sustained in the face of overwhelming opposition and mountains of evidence to the contrary. The narcissist usually tries to persuade his social environment to accept his point of view. He tries to manipulate his loved ones into positively reinforcing his delusional False Self. If he fails, he changes his profile on the fly. He "learns by ear." His False Self is impromptu – a living work of art that is constantly reconstructed in a reiterative process based on intricate and complex feedback loops.
Though the narcissistic personality is rigid, its content is constantly changing. Narcissists are constantly reinventing themselves, adapting their consumption of Narcissistic Supply to the "marketplace" and becoming more attuned to the needs of their "suppliers." They, like the performers that they are, connect with their "audience," giving it what it expects and desires. They are effective tools for extracting and consuming human reactions.
Narcissists have no loyalties, values, doctrines, beliefs, affiliations, or convictions as a result of this never-ending process of fine tuning. Their only limitation is their positive or negative addiction to human attention.
Psychotics, on the other hand, are fixated on a particular view of the world and their place in it. They disregard any and all information that might call their delusions into question. They gradually withdraw into the inner reaches of their tormented mind and become dysfunctional.
Narcissists can't afford to close themselves off from the outside world because they rely so heavily on it to regulate their erratic sense of self-worth. Because of this dependence, they are hypersensitive and hypervigilant, alert to any new information. They are constantly rearranging their self-delusions in an ego-syntonic manner in order to incorporate new information.
This is why the Narcissistic Personality Disorder is insufficient justification for claiming "diminished capacity" (insanity). Narcissists are never divorced from reality; they crave, need, and consume it to maintain the precarious balance of their disorganized, borderline-psychotic personality. Even the most bizarre narcissists can tell right from wrong, act with intent, and have complete control over their faculties and actions.
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How To Discipline A Narcissistic Child
Do you look in the mirror to admire yourself more than most people? Do you believe you are more important than everyone else? Do people say you're self-centered, and do you think it's okay to be that way?
Once upon a time, there was a young man named Narcissus. Narcissus was a young boy in Greek mythology. He was a very attractive young man. Women and nymphs fell in love with him because he was so stunning. Even the goddess Echo had succumbed to his charms and had fallen hopelessly in love with the young man. Unfortunately, he was arrogant and rudely avoided the goddess Echo and the other nymphs and ladies who were madly in love with him.
A young woman who tried to woo Narcissus prayed one day that he be taught a lesson in unrequited love. Echo, hurt and vengeful, granted the woman's request while punishing Narcissus for falling in love and receiving no reciprocation. Narcissus fell in love with himself, watching his own reflection in the lake's reflection day and night, forgetting to eat and rest. He did this until he lost his old beauty, which had once enchanted Echo and the other nymphs. He wilted away, loving himself, and was transformed into a flower that bore his name later on.
Narcissistic Child
Simply put, this condition is about self-esteem. According to Sigmund Freud, self-love is ingrained in all men from birth. According to Andrew Morrison, an adequate amount of healthy self love in adults allows a person's perception of his needs to be balanced in relation to others.
Pathological narcissism is a life-long pattern of traits and behaviors that represent love and obsession with oneself, shutting out everyone else, and the egotistic and ruthless pursuit of gratification, dominance, and ambition.
Pathological narcissism is maladaptive, rigid, persistent, and causes significant distress and functional impairment when compared to having a healthy amount of self love, which we all have during childhood and even now. It manifests as a chronic desire for personal gratification and attention (narcissistic supply), social dominance and personal ambition, bragging, insensitivity to others, lack of empathy, and/or excessive reliance on others to meet his/her responsibilities in daily living and thinking.
Pathological narcissism is thought to be the result of genetic programming, poor upbringing and/or growing up in a dysfunctional family, or reclusive societies and disruptive socialization processes. It has been described as a defense mechanism. A pathologic narcissistic tendency can be induced by certain medical conditions, chronic illnesses, and brain trauma. However, once the underlying medical condition or trauma is treated, this type of narcissism disappears.
As previously stated, we were all narcissistic as toddlers. Babies believe they are the center of everyone's universe, and that their parents exist solely to protect and cater to their needs. However, as babies grow older, their idealizations are shattered by the difficult conflicts that life throws at them. If these conflicts occur abruptly, inconsistently, unpredictably, capriciously, arbitrarily, and intensely, the infant's self-esteem suffers severe and often irreversible damage.
These conflicts, combined with the parents' lack of support for the child, cause the child's sense of self-worth and self-esteem to fluctuate between over-evaluation and devaluation of himself and the people around him. When confronted with a difficult obstacle, a child regresses to his infantile narcissistic phase rather than working around it. If the same obstacle appears and the child repeatedly fails to overcome it, the child may regress. And while in that regression stage, a child begins to act out: he exhibits childish and immature behavior, believes he is omnipotent, and pretends to know everything.
His sensitivity to the needs of others will deteriorate dramatically, and he will become unbearably haughty and arrogant, with sadistic and paranoid tendencies. To top it all off, he will expect unqualified admiration from those around him, even if he does not deserve it. As the child engages in fantastic, magical thinking and daydreams, he or she begins a cycle of self-destructive behavior. In this mode, he is prone to exploiting others, envious of them, and being explosive.
Only when repeated attacks on the obstacle fail, does a personality disorder emerge — especially if this recurrent failure occurs during the formative stages (0-6 years of age). The contrast between the individual's make-believe world and the real world in which he is constantly frustrated (the grandiosity gap) is too sharp to bear for long. The cognitive dissonance leads to the unconscious decision to continue living in the world of fantasy, grandiosity, and entitlement.
Healthy adults would normally accept their limitations and eventually cope with disappointments and failures. The opposite is true for narcissistic adults. As a result, during your child's growing years, you should keep a close eye on him. Give your child adequate support and teach him how to cope. This will help guide him away from malignant narcissism and onto a better path in life.
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