Identifying and Understanding the Narcissistic Personality

Front Cover
Oxford University Press, USA, Apr 14, 2005 - Medical - 239 pages
Narcissists have been much maligned, but according to clinicians who study personality, there are many productive narcissists who succeed spectacularly well in life because they can articulate a vision and make others follow. Elsa Ronningstam, who has been studying and treating narcissists for 20 years, presents a balanced, comprehensive, and up-to-date review of our understanding of narcissistic personality disorder, explaining the range from personality trait, which can be productive, to full-blown disorder, which can be highly destructive. Through fascinating case histories, Ronningstam shows us the inner life of narcissists, the tug of war that exists within them between self-confidence and arrogance on the one hand and painful shame and insecurity on the other. It is the first integrated clinical and empirical guide to assist clinicians in their work with narcissistic patients.

From inside the book

Contents

From Myth to Personality Disorder
3
A Normal Asset With Cultural Differences
31
The Origins and Scope of Narcissistic
49
Copyright

5 other sections not shown

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2005)

Elsa Ronningstam, Ph.D., has been studying narcissism and treating people with narcissistic disorders for nearly 25 years. Her research contributions to the understanding of NPD appear in such journals as The American Journal of Psychiatry, The Harvard Review of Psychiatry and The Journal of Personality Disorders. She is respected both in the United States and internationally as an author, instructor and clinician. Dr Ronningstam is currently an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an Associate Clinical Psychologist at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, USA.

Bibliographic information