Narcissism
The term 'narcissism' first appears in Freud's work in 1910.
Following "[[On Narcissism: An Introduction",[1] The concept of 'narcissism' begins to play a central role in psychoanalytic theory.
Freud defines narcissism are the investment of libido in the ego
'Narcissism' is used by Sigmund Freud to describe the investment of libido in the ego.
The narcissistic stage of development inscribes the ego as an object of the libidinal economy.
Lacan makes narcissism an even more central aspect of the human psyche, aligning it with the imaginary order, one of the three major structures of the psyche (along with the Real and the symbolic order).
Lacan expands upon Freud's concept, linking it more explicitly with its namesake, the myth of Narcissus.
Narcissism has both an erotic and an aggressive character.
It is erotic in that the subject is strongly attracted to the gestalt that is his image.
Narcissism is the erotic attraction to the specular image. Such attraction underlies the primary identification by which the ego is formed in the mirror stage.
It is aggressive in that the 'wholeness' of the specular image, undermined by the uncoordinated disunity of the subject’s real body, seems to threaten the subject with disintegration.
The narcissistic relation (with the specular image) constitutes the imaginary dimension of human relationships.[2]
Ideally, the libido directs its energies to objects ("object-libido"), including eventually one's love-object.
The libido can also attach itself to the ego ("ego-libido") to the exclusion of external object-cathexes.
This situation leads, according to Freud, to narcissistic behavior and to narcissistic neuroses such as megalomania.
See Also
References
- ↑ Freud 1914c
- ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book III. The Psychoses, 1955-56. Trans. Russell Grigg. London: Routledge, 1993. p.92
