Symposium on Narcissism: Differing Psychoanalytic Perspectives: Introduction and Comments on Observational Duality

The papers published in this special issue of the Journal were first presented at a symposium sponsored by the Candidates Association of the American Institute for Psychoanalysis. The aim of the conference was the examination of narcissism in psychoanalytic theory and practice, in order to promote dialogue among adherents to various psychoanalytic orientations. In particular, the symposium organizers desired to compare the classical point of view with the contemporary approaches of Otto Kernberg, Heinz Kohut, and Karen Horney. The chairperson, Stephanie Steinfelt, Ph.D., invited speakers who had special expertise with these theorists. She worked tirelessly to achieve this goal. My task was to encourage presenters to provide drafts of their papers and to do some editing. Not all speakers submitted their work for publication, but the papers that follow are representative. The order of papers was modified for publication to provide greater coherence.

The rubric of “narcissism” and “self-psychology” represents an emerging paradigm within psychoanalytic observation, technique, and theory. Diverse points of view within psychoanalytic psychology have been brought to bear upon the various pathologies of the self. Apparently contradictory claims are made for the validity of one point of view rather than another. As Tuttman observes later in this issue, differences among theorists may be more than merely rhetorical.

Among the issues which seem paramount in the conceptual clarification and evaluation of these competing points of view are the following: is pathology of the self causative, derivative, or independent of structural conflict? What are the relations between dynamics in classical theory and self-pathology? Is it the case that narcissistic disorders implicate the primacy of early interpersonal relations in pathogenesis and relegate drive theory to a subordinate position? Are there multiple syndromes of self-disorder with, perhaps, multiple causal pathways?