Narcissistic transformations in adolescence
Spruiell, V.
International Journal of Psychoanalytic PsychoTherapy 4: 518-536
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0091-0600 PMID: 1158610 Document Number: 91901
This paper traces the transformation of narcissism, paralleling the transformations of object love, occurring between early and late adolescence. Narcissism is examined in terms of three lines of development: erotic self-love, omnipotence, and the regulations of self-esteem. The transition occurs relatively rapidly in most normal and psychoneurotic individuals and involves a massive reorganization of the psyche. The acquisition of a body image of an adult sort probably acts an organizer. A normal consequence is the first romantic love relationship. An understanding of these issues is of importance in psychoanalytic psychotherapy of both adolescents and adults.