The Analyst's Narcissism

Narcissism is a peculiar quality. We all have it, yet it is considered by psychoanalysts to be problematic. In fact, there was a time when narcissistic individuals were thought to be unanalyzable (Ivimey 1951; Rangell 1982), unable to establish a workable transference. Still, I know that when I write or speak, I want my words and thoughts to be well thought of, and that this wish to have others think well of me reflects my narcissistic vulnerability. I think it is impossible to desire without being vulnerable to that desire. However, this subject, the intertwining of desire and narcissistic vulnerability, specifically, the analyst's desires and vulnerabilities, has been little addressed.

We all want to be admired, by colleagues as well as by patients. We know there is “healthy narcissism,” yet the word narcissistic has a negative connotation, used, like borderline, to describe difficult patients, sometimes as a way to protect our narcissism. Not a good use of diagnostic labels, but understandable, for though it is inevitable that in an analytic process that is deeply experienced our narcissistic vulnerability will be challenged, we are not yet comfortable talking about our wounds.

When I speak of the analyst's vulnerability—that is, his vulnerability to narcissistic injury or grandiose certainty—I am not referring to the problems with self-esteem regulation that can lead an individual in any profession to misuse his position to elevate his sense of self at the expense of someone else's autonomy, creativity, or comfort. I suspect that all of us have interacted with teachers, colleagues, or patients who have behaved in such a manner, leaving others feeling diminished by their exercise of power. However, rather than focusing on pathology, I am speaking to the vulnerability present in every analyst.

Heinz Kohut and the self psychologists emphasized the importance of attending to patients' narcissism, and we have learned from their work.