Author of "Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited"
The Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a systemic, all- pervasive condition, very much like pregnancy: either you have it or
you don't. Once you have it, you have it day and night, it is an
inseparable part of the personality, a recurrent set of behavior
patterns.
Recent research (1996) by Roningstam and others, however, shows that
there is a condition which might be called "Transient or Temporary
or Short Term Narcissism" as opposed to the full-fledged version.
Even prior to their discovery, "Reactive Narcissistic Regression"
was well known: people regress to a transient narcissistic phase in
response to a major life crisis which threatens their mental
composure.
But can narcissism be acquired or learned? Can it be provoked by
certain, well-defined, situations?
Robert B. Millman, professor of psychiatry at New York Hospital -
Cornell Medical School thinks it can. He proposes to reverse the
accepted chronology. According to him, pathological narcissism can
be induced in adulthood by celebrity, wealth, and fame.
The "victims" - billionaire tycoons, movie stars, renowned authors,
politicians, and other authority figures - develop grandiose
fantasies, lose their erstwhile ability to empathize, react with
rage to slights, both real and imagined and, in general, act like
textbook narcissists.
But is the occurrence of Acquired Situational Narcissism (ASN)
inevitable and universal - or are only certain people prone to it?
It is likely that ASN is merely an amplification of earlier
narcissistic conduct, traits, style, and tendencies. Celebrities
with ASN already had a narcissistic personality and have acquired it
long before it "erupted". Being famous, powerful, or rich
only "legitimized" and conferred immunity from social sanction on
the unbridled manifestation of a pre-existing disorder. Indeed,
narcissists tend to gravitate to professions and settings which
guarantee fame, celebrity, power, and wealth.
As Millman correctly notes, the celebrity's life is abnormal. The
adulation is often justified and plentiful, the feedback biased and
filtered, the criticism muted and belated, social control either
lacking or excessive and vitriolic. Such vicissitudinal existence is
not conducive to mental health even in the most balanced person.
The confluence of a person's narcissistic predisposition and his
pathological life circumstances gives rise to ASN. Acquired
Situational Narcissism borrows elements from both the classic
Narcissistic Personality Disorder - ingrained and all-pervasive -
and from Transient or Reactive Narcissism.
Celebrities are, therefore, unlikely to "heal" once their fame or
wealth or might are gone. Instead, their basic narcissism merely
changes form. It continues unabated, as insidious as ever - but
modified by life's ups and downs.
In a way, all narcissistic disturbances are acquired. Patients
acquire their pathological narcissism from abusive or overbearing
parents, from peers, and from role models. Narcissism is a defense
mechanism designed to fend off hurt and danger brought on by
circumstances - such as celebrity - beyond the person's control.
Social expectations play a role as well. Celebrities try to conform
to the stereotype of a creative but spoiled, self-centered,
monomaniacal, and emotive individual. A tacit trade takes place. We
offer the famous and the powerful all the Narcissistic Supply they
crave - and they, in turn, act the consummate, fascinating albeit
repulsive, narcissists.
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AUTHOR BIO (must be included with the article)
Sam Vaknin ( http://samvak.tripod.com ) is the author of Malignant
Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West
Lost the East. He served as a columnist for Central Europe Review,
PopMatters, Bellaonline, and eBookWeb, a United Press International
(UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor of mental health
and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory and
Suite101.
Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government
of Macedonia.
Visit Sam's Web site at http://samvak.tripod.com