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I seldom find myself wishing that a book was longer, but I often had that thought on reading this book. It is densely packed, full of Phil Mollon's ideas that are the fruit of the decades that Mollon has spent pondering the nature of human identity.
Mollon's book is a summation of that long work, clearly described in the brief introduction. As individuals we are trapped in images - given or imposed - that are illusionary but fiercely defended. In narcissism there is a terrific pressure to preserve a positive image of self and this pressure can go so far as enslaving others to buttress the narcissistic image. Mollon thinks of narcissistic and borderline states of mind as two sides of the same coin (p. 2). On the one side (narcissistic) are disorders of the self. On the other (borderline) are disturbances of relationships (internal
and external) and disorders of affect regulation. Mollon focuses in this book on the narcissistic side of the coin, emphasizing the developmental processes that underpin it since these processes concern the fundamental structures of the self upon which all else depends.
I believe Mollon to be saying that borderline states of mind depend on the same structure of the self as narcissistic states of mind. I am not so sure. It is not that I could not be persuaded as to the accuracy of this assertion, but it would require a longer book with the space to present the argument in more depth.
In Mollon's first chapter he develops his idea that in more narcissistic states of mind there is ‘the persistence of the subtle self-righteous delusion of personal goodness’ (p. 5). The priority is to maintain this self-image, and truth (or reality) is a casualty. He demonstrates that the same processes that occur in individuals can be seen in some social movements where a selected overvalued idea is held with a conviction that is blind to the hurt that can result from the pursuit of that idea.
Here Mollon begins to draw heavily upon Kohut's theory that there are