Narcissistic mortification is a concept in psychoanalysis that "the primitive terror of self dissolution, triggered by the sudden exposure of one's sense of a defective self ... it is death by embarrassment". The concept has been widely employed in ego psychology and also contributed to the roots of self psychology. When narcissistic mortification is experienced for the first time, it may be defined as a sudden loss of control over external or internal reality, or both. This produces strong emotions of terror while at the same time narcissistic libido (also known as ego-libido) or destrudo is built up. Narcissistic libido or ego-libido is the concentration of libido on the self. Destrudo is the opposite of libido and is the impulse to destroy oneself and everything associated with oneself.
Early developments: Bergler, Anna Freud, and Eidelberg Edmund Bergler developed the concept of narcissistic mortification in connection with early fantasies of omnipotence in the developing child, and with the fury provoked by the confrontations with reality that undermine his or her illusions. For Bergler, "the narcissistic mortification suffered in this very early period continues to act as a stimulus throughout his life". Anna Freud used the term in connection with her exploration of the defence mechanism of altruistic surrender, whereby an individual lives only through the lives of others – seeing at the root of such an abrogation of one's own life an early experience of narcissistic mortification at a disappointment with one's self. Psychoanalyst and author Ludwig Eidelberg subsequently expanded on the concept in the fifties and sixties. Eidelberg defined narcissistic mortification as occurring when "a sudden loss of control over external or internal reality...produces the painful emotional experience of terror". He also stated that for many patients simply to have to accept themselves as having neurotic symptoms was itself a trigger of narcissistic mortification.
Kohut and self psychology For Kohut, narcissistic injury – the root cause of what he termed narcissistic personality disorder – was broadly equivalent to the humiliation of mortification. Kohut considered that "if the grandiosity of the narcissistic self has been insufficiently modified ... then the adult ego will tend to vacillate between an irrational overestimation of the self and feelings of inferiority and will react with narcissistic mortification to the thwarting of its ambitions". Following Kohut's theories, the narcissistic individual shifts between an illogical exaggeration of one's own abilities and unreasonable feelings of inadequacy. Also, depends on other people to control his/her sense of self-worth and provide him/her with a sense of value. Thus, Kohut suggests assisting the patient in regaining these lost abilities throughout therapy. Furthermore, he also suggests that for the patient to feel understood, the therapist should temporarily inhabit the role of the patient and compassionately perceive the world from that point of view.
Object relations theory
Unlike ego psychologists, object relations theorists have traditionally used a rather different, post-Kleinian terminology to describe the early wounding of narcissistic mortification. Recently, however such theorists have found analogies between Freud's emphasis on the sensitivity of the ego to narcissistic humiliation and mortification, and the views of Bion on 'nameless dread' or Winnicott's on the original agonies of the breakdown of childhood consciousness. At the same time ego psychologists have been increasingly prepared to see narcissistic mortification as occurring in the context of early relations to objects.
Physical sensations and psychological perceptions An individual’s experience of mortification may be accompanied by both physical and psychological sensations. Physical sensations such as burning, painful tingling over the body, pain in the chest that slowly expands and spreads throughout the torso, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, sweating, blanching, coldness and numbness can be experienced by the individual suffering from mortification. The psychological sensations described are feeling shocked, exposed, and humiliated. Descriptions of this experience can be, for example: “It feels like I won’t survive” and “I have the absolute conviction that he or she hates me and it’s my fault”. These sensations are always followed by shock, although they may have happened on various occasions, they also prompt the need for the suffering individual to do something both internally and externally, to effect a positive self-image in the eyes of their narcissistic object. Narcissistic mortification is extreme in its intensity, totality, and lack of perspective and context, causing the anxiety associated with it to become traumatic.
Normal versus pathological In Eidelberg's view, a normal individual would usually be able to avoid being overwhelmed by internal needs because they recognize these urges in time to bring about their partial discharge. However, Eidelberg does not view occasional outbursts of temper as a sign of disorder. An individual experiencing pathological narcissistic mortification is prone to become fixated on infantile objects, resulting in an infantile form of discharge. He or she cannot be satisfied by the partial discharge of this energy, which takes place on an unconscious level, and this in turn interferes with their well-being. According to Eidelberg, the denial of an infantile narcissistic mortification can be responsible for many defensive mechanisms.
Internal versus external Narcissistic mortification can be:
Internal – occurs when an individual is overstimulated by their emotions. For example, while debating with classmates on the importance of stem cell research an outspoken student loses his temper causing an uproar. The student has just exhibited an overstimulation of his emotions and used this outburst to relieve internal tension. External – occurs when something out of one's control influences a situation, for example, an individual who is held at gunpoint while having their wallet stolen. This individual does not hold any control over the scenario nor the actions of the gunman, but their reaction to being held at gunpoint influences the next scenario and what the gunman does next.
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