Narcissism, Substance Abuse, and Reckless Behaviours

Pathological narcissism is an addiction to Narcissistic Supply, the narcissist's drug of choice. It is, therefore, not surprising that other addictive and reckless behaviours – workaholism, alcoholism, drug abuse, pathological gambling, compulsory shopping, or reckless driving – piggyback on this primary dependence.

The narcissist – like other types of addicts – derives pleasure from these exploits. But they also sustain and enhance his grandiose fantasies as "unique", "superior", "entitled", and "chosen". They place him above the laws and pressures of the mundane and away from the humiliating and sobering demands of reality. They render him the centre of attention – but also place him in "splendid isolation" from the madding and inferior crowd.

Such compulsory and wild pursuits provide a psychological exoskeleton. They are a substitute to quotidian existence. They afford the narcissist with an agenda, with timetables, goals, and faux achievements. The narcissist – the adrenaline junkie – feels that he is in control, alert, excited, and vital. He does not regard his condition as dependence. The narcissist firmly believes that he is in charge of his addiction, that he can quit at will and on short notice.

The narcissist denies his cravings for fear of "losing face" and subverting the flawless, perfect, immaculate, and omnipotent image he projects. When caught red handed, the narcissist underestimates, rationalises, or intellectualises his addictive and reckless behaviours – converting them into an integral part of his grandiose and fantastic False Self.

Thus, a drug abusing narcissist may claim to be conducting first hand research for the benefit of humanity – or that his substance abuse results in enhanced creativity and productivity. The dependence of some narcissists becomes a way of life: busy corporate executives, race car drivers, or professional gamblers come to mind.

The narcissist's addictive behaviours take his mind off his inherent limitations, inevitable failures, painful and much-feared rejections, and the Grandiosity Gap – the abyss between the image he projects (the False Self) and the injurious truth. They relieve his anxiety and resolve the tension between his unrealistic expectations and inflated self-image – and his incommensurate achievements, position, status, recognition, intelligence, wealth, and physique.

Thus, there is no point in treating the dependence and recklessness of the narcissist without first treating the underlying personality disorder. The narcissist's addictions serve deeply ingrained emotional needs. They intermesh seamlessly with the pathological structure of his disorganised personality, with his character faults, and primitive defence mechanisms.

Techniques such as "12 steps" may prove more efficacious in treating the narcissist's grandiosity, rigidity, sense of entitlement, exploitativeness, and lack of empathy. This is because – as opposed to traditional treatment modalities – the emphasis is on tackling the narcissist's psychological makeup, rather than on behaviour modification.

The narcissist's overwhelming need to feel omnipotent and superior can be co-opted in the therapeutic process. Overcoming an addictive behaviour can be – truthfully – presented by the therapist as a rare and impressive feat, worthy of the narcissist's unique mettle.

Narcissists fall for these transparent pitches surprisingly often. But this approach can backfire. Should the narcissist relapse – an almost certain occurrence – he will feel ashamed to admit his fallibility, need for emotional sustenance, and impotence. He is likely to avoid treatment altogether and convince himself that now, having succeeded once to get rid of his addiction, he is self-sufficient and omniscient.

 

i suppose youl be proud yourself to call me a narcicist or somthing when i tell you thats bullshit ....live life and come to your own experiences ....dont be enthralled to dogmatic and small minded textbooks . there are many reasons why people do what they do ...there are many forces , internal and external and no defined boarders , that move folks

 

ok

 

Chill, this is merely for informational purposes.

 

lol what a bunch of crap. typical pseudo-science, psychobabble.
read too much of that stuff and you will lose all faith in humanity, including yourself. unless you take it as a form of modern occultism it is.

 

i'm glad you posted this, because it is really interesting.


as someone who used to have a drug problem, and was in AA for about 2 years, it reminds me of a lot of the things i learned while i was there.

also for the fact that i'm not in AA anymore, but also don't do drugs, i can relate in that i do feel a sense of accomplishment in that i don't do drugs anymore, and i basically have the self control that i didn't use to have.
but i think you do have to look at what people's motives are for doing something...
also , it seems like everyone can exhibit signs of narcissism at times, and even a humble person who recieves a lot of recognition for something could be 'turned into' a narcisssist
that's my 2 cents on it anyway

 

So are you saying that all narcissist's are addicts or all addicts are narcissist's or both?

 

i think they are saying that narcissists are more prone to be addicts because they are so wrapped up in themselves and what they can and cannot accomplish........ but then again who doesn't strive to be good at SOMETHING? even if it is being good at getting high.......

 

Well sed