Chapter 7, The Soul of a Narcissist, The State of the Art - Concepts of Narcissistic Accumulation and Narcissistic Regulation

Written by Dr. Sam Vaknin

Page 3 of 6

This perturbance is called the Superego.

The narcissist has a sadistic and punishing Superego. Quite like his Ego, the narcissist's Superego is primitive (Ideal Superego). The narcissist's aggression, for reasons which we have elaborated upon earlier, is directed at his self instead of at objects outside himself. It is closely associated with his libido.

The narcissistic personality has four elements (in lieu of three). There is the Superego (SEGO), which punishes the narcissist for the deeds and misdeeds of his False Ego (FEGO). There is also the degenerated True Ego (TEGO), which does not function. Then there is a classical, unaffected ID - but it is not reined in by a functioning EGO.

There is no effective mediation between the narcissist's personality and reality and the narcissist is unable to postpone gratification and the immediate satisfaction of desires and of drives. The narcissist's personality is disjointed (not integrated) and its parts are incommunicado. The only integrating element is the SEGO, which keeps in touch with all the disparate segments.

Mental Map # 7

Sadistic and punishing Superego (SEGO) exercises internalised
transformations of aggression on weak True Ego (TEGO).
These include: dysphoria, suicidal ideations, depression, anhedonia, self-loathing.
TEGO introverted, weak, disintegrative, partially differentiated.
SEGO exercises externalised transformations of aggression on False Ego (FEGO).
These include: self-sabotage, delinquency, boredom, envy, Projective Identification,
rage, cynicism, vulgar honesty, paranoid ideas, avoidance (sexual, emotional),
directed at objects through the mediation of FEGO.
FEGO is grandiose, extroverted, contains narcissistic defence mechanisms,
characterised by intellectualisation and infantilism.
FEGO communicates with ID:
Libido and sex vested in SELF through FEGO
defective (False) reality control (test),
partial control of drives and impulses
(all mediated through FEGO).
FEGO directs aggression at objects
(PNSS, SNSS and other objects)
and reaps abandonment, losses, and punishments through
the recreation of conflicts and transference relationships
(This is a manifestation of the long arm of the SEGO).
FEGO invests in objects NSS-oriented libido and extracts from objects
functions of accumulation of Narcissistic Supply and adulation.

The sources of the narcissist's self-destructive urges are in the interactions SEGO-TEGO and SEGO-FEGO.

SEGO is the main cause of self-destruction.

The narcissistic defence mechanisms are all embedded in FEGO together with a libidinal investment.

SEGO punishes the narcissist for what FEGO does. But the punishment is felt by TEGO. FEGO is very primitive emotionally. It is binary: I feel good/bad or I have/do not have (Narcissistic Supply).

This split between the nominally punished (FEGO) and the structure which really experiences the punishment (TEGO) creates within the narcissist feelings of paranoia and injustice. He feels punished having done nothing wrong.

The libido is invested in the SELF and is intended to secure PNSSs. When these are secured, the libido is re-directed to objects (SNSSs) whose functions are to provide Narcissistic Supply (adulation) and narcissistic memory (through accumulation).

Moreover, the narcissist tries to modify his environment to make it conducive to his narcissistic needs.

He creates a Pathological Narcissistic Space (PN Space). This is a geographical area, a group of people, or an abstract field of knowledge in which the narcissistic pathology attains its maximum expression. The FEGO's boundaries overlap the geographical ones and the PN Space becomes the FEGO's domain and hunting grounds.

This domain is typically confined to the workplace, the family residence, and to a few other select locations (school, university, the homes of some friends, a political party headquarters, a club). But some narcissists use fame and celebrity to enlarge their PN Space. The various defence mechanisms (part of the FEGO) expand together with the FEGO to operate in all the territory of the PN Space. The existence of the PN Space is independent of the existence of PNSSs and SNSSs.