Narcissistic Fantasies in Film and Fiction

Masters of the Universe

Ilany Kogan

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781000030556
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Teaching Arts & Humanities

This book has grown from a belief that the psychoanalytic exploration of literature and performances leads to a richer and fuller understanding of each individual's internal reality. It includes an exploration of narcissistic fantasies from various protagonists of film and novels and focuses on the fantasy of the omnipotence of the self, which is a predominantly narcissistic desire to be a "Master of the Universe", a deity, an omnipotent, immortal figure.

Psychoanalysis and art interact in exploring the individual's refusal to give up grandiose fantasies about the self, or his inability to modulate and integrate them within his personality, which are at the origin of his wish to transcend the human condition. These narcissistic fantasies are often expressed through aggressive and self-destructive behaviour, including flirtation with death and destruction. The emotional truth that great artists convey through symbols which often resonates in the audience is examined in this book through studies and comparisons of narcissistic characters in opera, film andcontemporary fiction. Identifying with these figures, who place themselves above the law, may give us the illusion of omnipotence and immortality, which corresponds to a primary narcissistic fantasy, the traces of which exist in various degrees in all of us.

Part of the popular International Psychoanalytical Association Psychoanalytic Ideas and Applications Series, this book is unique in its focus on the narcissistic fantasy of the omnipotence of the self by means of an analysis of a variety of protagonists from the worlds of the performing arts and literature, and on the exploration of their impact on the audience. It will be of interest to psychoanalysts, therapists, and those with an interest in the intersection of psychoanalytic theory with film and literature.

Part 1

Theoretical discussion

Chapter 1

Revisiting narcissistic character disorder

This book explores “narcissistic fantasies” by means of an analysis of a variety of protagonists from the worlds of the performing arts and literature. Although fictional, these characters may be perceived as prototypes of narcissistic character disorder. In this chapter, I will review some characteristics of narcissistic character disorders which are relevant to my theme.¹

Early psychoanalytic literature

Freud first used the term “narcissism” in a 1910 footnote to Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (p. 145). Four years later, in his paper On Narcissism (1914), Freud outlined the profoundly significant concepts of primary and secondary narcissism, the nature of narcissistic object choices, and the narcissistic foundation of ego ideal as a psychic structure. However, it was not until 1931 that he described the “narcissistic character type” by pointing out that the subject’s main interest is directed to self-preservation, that his ego has a large amount of aggressiveness at its disposal which can also manifest itself in readiness for activity, and that he is independent and not open to intimidation.

In an earlier paper, Jones (1913) provided significant information on the phenomenology of narcissistic personality disorder. Jones’ description of individuals with a “God complex” is perhaps the first detailed portrayal of this condition. According to Jones, such an individual displays

an excessive admiration for and confidence in one’s own powers, knowledge and qualities, both physical and mental... the wish to display the own person or a certain part of it... omnipotence phantasies... [and] an exaggerated desire to be loved... [a desire] for praise and admiration.

(pp. 244–265)

Waelder (1925) expresses his view that the “narcissistic personality” is characterized as displaying condescending superiority, intense preoccupation with self-regard, and a peculiar absence of concern for others. This lack of empathy is most apparent in sexuality; intercourse becomes a purely physical pleasure, the partner being less an individual than a means to an end.

In contrast to Waelder, Wilhelm Reich (1933) describes the “phallic-narcissistic character” as someone warding off a deep-seated feeling of inferiority. He portrays such a person as arrogant, energetic, often promiscuous, and reacting to any offense to his vanity by “cold disdain, marked ill-humor, or down-right aggression” (p. 218). Reich indicates such persons’ tendency towards sadistic perversions, sexual impotence, homosexuality, addictions, and superego defects. He regards this character pathology to be more common among males and points out that their level of social functioning varies greatly. Some acquire fame and social power, while others tend towards addiction, and criminality.

Later, Annie Reich (1960) regards narcissists as “people whose libido is mainly concentrated on themselves at the expense of object-love” (p. 217). Such individuals have an unduly high opinion of themselves, “exaggerated, unrealistic, i.e., infantile inner yardsticks” (p. 219), excessive un-neutralized aggression, and overdependence on approval from outside. They are preoccupied with fantasies of self-aggrandizement. They manifest a driven quality in their work, inability to wait, hypochondriasis, and perverse sexual practices.

From a different angle, Nemiah (1961) describes an individual with a “narcissistic character disorder” as displaying great ambition, unrealistically high goals, intolerance of imperfections, and an insatiable craving for admiration. The individual does little because of authentic inner motivation; all actions are influenced by what he thinks will make others like him.

Tartakoff (1966) describes individuals with a “Nobel Prize complex” as “knowing it all”. He points out the frequent circumvention of oedipal conflict among narcissistic individuals. This leads to their being cocky, promiscuous, and irreverent towards authority figures.

Contemporary analytic literature

The pioneers who made extensive research in the field of narcissistic personalities were Kernberg and Kohut. Kernberg (1970) maintains that the main characteristics of this personality disorder are their excessive self-absorption, intense ambition, grandiosity, and inordinate need for tribute from others. He emphasizes the coexistence of feelings of inferiority with notions of grandiosity and stresses the “presence of chronic intense envy, and defenses against such envy, particularly devaluation, omnipotent control and narcissistic withdrawal” (Kernberg, 1975, p. 264). The internal pathology is evident in their emotional shallowness, defective empathy, extreme contradictions in self-esteem, and incapacity for experiencing mournful longing and sadness when faced with separation and loss. Pathological narcissism is associated with a deterioration in the capacity for object relationships. Kernberg emphasizes the importance of severe frustrations with significant early objects in the defensive genesis of narcissistic personality disorder. The individuals with a narcissistic personality have a cohesive, albeit highly pathological, grandiose self, which hides the inner “identity diffusion”.² These individuals show manifestations of ego weakness, that is, deficiencies in the areas of anxiety tolerance, impulse control, and sublimation.

In contrast to Kernberg, Kohut suggests few empirical diagnostic criteria for narcissistic personality disorder. Kohut (1971) notes that narcissistic individuals may complain of disturbances in several areas: Sexually, they may report perverse fantasies or lack of interest in sex; socially, they may experience work inhibitions, difficulty in forming and maintaining relationships, or delinquent activities; little empathy for others’ needs and feelings, pathologic lying, or hypochondriacal preoccupations. These patients also display overt grandiosity in unrealistic schemes, exaggerated self-regard, demands for attention, and inappropriate idealization of others.

Another affective feature is the narcissistic individual’s tendency towards hypomanic exaltation. Kohut portrays it as an anxious excitement, sometimes associated with trancelike ecstasy and near-religious feelings of transcendence. This emotion is often precipitated by favorable occurrences in reality, which flood the narcissist’s psyche with archaic grandiosity.

Volkan (1976, 1980, 1982, 1986), who has extensively applied his understanding of pathological narcissism to the study of sociopolitical processes, bases the diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder on three criteria: “the surface picture, which reflects the patient’s grandiose self... the clinical picture, which reflects the other side of the coin, and the patient’s constant attempts to protect and keep the cohesion of his grandiose self” (p. 338). Volkan (1982) describes the fantasy commonly employed by narcissistic individuals to keep their illusory greatness intact and calls it the “glass bubble fantasy”. These individuals feel that they are living by themselves in a glorious “glass bubble”, which protects their fragile self-esteem.

Rosenfeld (1964, 1971) describes narcissistic object relations as characterized by omnipotence and defences against any recognition of separateness between self and the object. The narcissist’s omnipotence is manifest in his ruthless use of others with concomitant denial of any dependence on them, since its recognition implies vulnerability to love, separation, and envy of what others have to offer. An idealized self-image is maintained, and anything interfering with it is vehemently defended against. A malignant situation prevails when destructive aspects of the self become idealized. Such patients attempt to destroy whatever love is offered to them in order to maintain their superiority over others. In becoming completely identified with the omnipotent destructive aspect of their selves, they kill off their sane, loving, and dependent self.

Grunberger (1975) likens the narcissist to the fetus, which exists in a seemingly self-sufficient, oblivious, and parasitic economy, where it receives everything but has to give nothing in return. He posits that a fundamental conflict exists throughout life, between the longing to return to such narcissistic bliss and the unavoidable human necessity for emotional dependence on others. The narcissistic individual, more than others, continues to yearn for unconditional indulgence from his world, uniqueness, omnipotence, and unlimited autonomy. Such a person is frequently preoccupied with desires for invulnerability, infiniteness, and immortality.

This theme also finds expression in the writings of Green (1986), who suggests that narcissism manifests itself in three realms: physical, intellectual, and moral. Physical narcissism manifests in undue preoccupation with one’s appearance, exhibitionism, and hypochondriacal concerns. Intellectual narcissism becomes evident in a feeling of omnipotence, a libidinization of thinking, and a tendency to dominate others by intellectual prowess. Moral narcissism gives rise to a yearning to be pure, above ordinary human needs, and free of attachment to others.

Another attempt at systematization of emotional features of narcissistic personality was made by Svrakic (1985, 1986), who distinguishes between primary and secondary narcissistic emotions. The former includes chronic envy, unprovoked periodic rage, and feelings of emptiness and boredom. Among the latter, Svrakic includes narcissistic rage, when there was an injury to self-esteem, and hypomanic exaltation, when there was ample gratification of narcissistic needs.

Akhtar and Thomson (1982) and Akhtar (1992) point out the centrality of splitting in narcissistic personalities and emphasize their divided self. The individual with a narcissistic personality disorder is overtly grandiose, scornful of others, successful, enthusiastic about ideologies, seductive, and often strikingly articulate. However...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Series editor’s foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Part 1 Theoretical discussion
• Part 2 Musical drama
• Part 3 Films and fiction
• Part 4 TV drama and fiction
• Part 5 Fiction
• Final words
• Index