neuro equipoise
07-23-2004, 09:19 AM
Excerpt:
"The narcissist - the adrenaline junkie - feels that he is in control,
alert, excited, and vital. He does not regard his condition as
dependence. The narcissist firmly believes that he is in charge of his
addiction, that he can quit at will and on short notice. The narcissist
denies his cravings for fear of "losing face" and subverting the
flawless, perfect, immaculate, and omnipotent image he projects.
When caught red handed, the narcissist underestimates, rationalizes, or
intellectualizes his addictive and reckless behaviours - converting them
into an integral part of his grandiose and fantastic False Self.
Thus, a drug abusing narcissist may claim to be conducting first hand
research for the benefit of humanity - or that his substance abuse
results in enhanced creativity and productivity.
The narcissist's addictive behaviours take his mind off his inherent
limitations, inevitable failures, painful and much-feared rejections,
and the grandiosity gap - the abyss between the image he projects (the
False Self) and the injurious truth.
They relieve his anxiety and resolve the tension between his unrealistic
expectations and inflated self-image - and his incommensurate
achievements, position, status, recognition, intelligence, wealth, and
physique. Thus, there is no point in treating the dependence and
recklessness of the narcissist without first treating the underlying
personality disorder. The narcissist's addictions serve deeply ingrained
emotional needs. They intermesh seamlessly with the pathological
structure of his disorganized personality, with his character faults,
and primitive defence mechanisms.
Techniques such as "12 steps" may prove more efficacious in treating the
narcissist's grandiosity, rigidity, sense of entitlement,
exploitativeness, and lack of empathy. This is because - as opposed to
traditional treatment modalities - the emphasis is on tackling the
narcissist's psychological makeup, rather than on behaviour
modification.
The narcissist's overwhelming need to feel omnipotent and superior can
be co-opted in the therapeutic process. Overcoming an addictive
behaviour can be - truthfully - presented by the therapist as a rare and
impressive feat, worthy of the narcissist's unique mettle. Narcissists
fall for these transparent pitches surprisingly often. But this approach
can backfire. Should the narcissist relapse - an almost certain
occurrence - he will feel ashamed to admit his fallibility, need for
emotional sustenance, and impotence. He is likely to avoid treatment
altogether and convince himself that now, having succeeded once to get
rid of his addiction, he is self-sufficient and omniscient."
http://www.mental-health-matters.com/articles/article.php?artID=547
"The narcissist - the adrenaline junkie - feels that he is in control,
alert, excited, and vital. He does not regard his condition as
dependence. The narcissist firmly believes that he is in charge of his
addiction, that he can quit at will and on short notice. The narcissist
denies his cravings for fear of "losing face" and subverting the
flawless, perfect, immaculate, and omnipotent image he projects.
When caught red handed, the narcissist underestimates, rationalizes, or
intellectualizes his addictive and reckless behaviours - converting them
into an integral part of his grandiose and fantastic False Self.
Thus, a drug abusing narcissist may claim to be conducting first hand
research for the benefit of humanity - or that his substance abuse
results in enhanced creativity and productivity.
The narcissist's addictive behaviours take his mind off his inherent
limitations, inevitable failures, painful and much-feared rejections,
and the grandiosity gap - the abyss between the image he projects (the
False Self) and the injurious truth.
They relieve his anxiety and resolve the tension between his unrealistic
expectations and inflated self-image - and his incommensurate
achievements, position, status, recognition, intelligence, wealth, and
physique. Thus, there is no point in treating the dependence and
recklessness of the narcissist without first treating the underlying
personality disorder. The narcissist's addictions serve deeply ingrained
emotional needs. They intermesh seamlessly with the pathological
structure of his disorganized personality, with his character faults,
and primitive defence mechanisms.
Techniques such as "12 steps" may prove more efficacious in treating the
narcissist's grandiosity, rigidity, sense of entitlement,
exploitativeness, and lack of empathy. This is because - as opposed to
traditional treatment modalities - the emphasis is on tackling the
narcissist's psychological makeup, rather than on behaviour
modification.
The narcissist's overwhelming need to feel omnipotent and superior can
be co-opted in the therapeutic process. Overcoming an addictive
behaviour can be - truthfully - presented by the therapist as a rare and
impressive feat, worthy of the narcissist's unique mettle. Narcissists
fall for these transparent pitches surprisingly often. But this approach
can backfire. Should the narcissist relapse - an almost certain
occurrence - he will feel ashamed to admit his fallibility, need for
emotional sustenance, and impotence. He is likely to avoid treatment
altogether and convince himself that now, having succeeded once to get
rid of his addiction, he is self-sufficient and omniscient."
http://www.mental-health-matters.com/articles/article.php?artID=547