Narcissism is NOT High Self-esteem, Self-worth, Self-confidence (Role of Attribution Error)
Channel: Prof. Sam Vaknin
Date: 02/03/2024

Comparison to internalized standards. Perfectionism leads to narcissist, an eternal striving to match inner expectations: physical appearance, physical ability, achievement, peer acceptance, and a variety of personal traits (Harter, 1983). 

A healthy sense of self-worth (regulated and stable) is modified by feedback and experience without compromising or altering the core (situated self-esteem, Bednar, Wells, and Peterson (1989).

Narcissism involves attribution errors, a stable, regulated sense of self-worth does not.

Narcissism is compensatory, sense of self-worth is not, is innate. So, narcissism is totally reactive to the environment and externally regulated while self-esteem and self-confidence are only minimally so are self-correcting (internally regulated). 

When narcissist misbehaves or collapses, his bad object is triggered and this undermines his grandiosity.

To defend against shame, guilt, envy, and antagonism, and to restore his grandiosity, narcissist reframes and confabulates, usually casting himself as prosocial or as a victim (“these ideas and work are mine, I did not steal or plagiarize them”, “I committed the crime because I had no choice”, “I slept with my best friend’s girlfriend because he trapped me into it, he made me do it, she seduced me”, etc.) Raskin, Novacek, and Hogan (1991).

LITERATURE

WATCH From Insight to Self-love, Self-care: 4 Conditions, 4 Steps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQXfW0hTntU

WATCH Love Yourself: Here’s How - or, The Four Pillars of Self-love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vzBf9QvClo

Self-Esteem and Narcissism: Implications for Practice, Katz, Lilian G. ERIC Digest, August 1993.

Early physiological indicators of narcissism and self-esteem in children, Eddie Brummelman, Milica Nikolić, Barbara Nevicka, Susan M. Bögels, May 2022,  https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14082

Hyatt CS, Sleep CE, Lamkin J, Maples-Keller JL, Sedikides C, Campbell WK, Miller JD. Narcissism and self-esteem: A nomological network analysis. PLoS One. 2018 Aug 1;13(8):e0201088. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201088. PMID: 30067800; PMCID: PMC6070240.

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