With Freud's formulations in 'On Narcissism: An Introduction' as a starting-point, a redefinition is offered of the relationship between primary narcissism and object libido. Object libido, working

in accordance with the pleasure principle, undergoes a process of development which leads to the construction of object representations on the level of the 'erotic sense of reality'. Primary narcissism springs from the original nutritive unity of mother and child. In the analysis of narcissistic disturbances one encounters unmastered unconscious fantasies of greatness and union. These are as much subject to defence as are libidinal fantasies. In the event of neutralization they contribute to ego and superego formation. Strivings of primary narcissism follow the safety principle; their satisfaction is accompanied by the 'oceanic feeling'.