This review distinguishes the following four categories of theories of narcissism: 1. Freud's own theory, put forward in an attempt to reach a more thorough understanding of the developmental stage where the psychoses are fixated (though his theory has also been used to shed light on the psychology of other subjects, for example, women and leaders); 2. Klein's and Lacan's extensions of Freud's theory, stressing the importance of object relations in narcissism; 3. the theories of ego psychology, centered on the self, for which narcissism no longer denotes a developmental stage, but refers to an independent sector of the personality; and 4. the use of the concept by socialization theoreticians in connection with their efforts to describe narcissism in women and adolescents.

In our opinion, the above four groups of theories cover the most significant viewpoints on the psychoanalytic narcissism concept and represent the nations that have dominated the