Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism

Disorders of Personality—DSM-IV and Beyond, 2nd ed.

Psychiatrists must occasionally feel some discomfort over the theoretical and therapeutic encroachments of psychologists in recent years. The distress may be increased by this comprehensive but brief presentation of psychopathology as an integrated whole. The author is head of the psychology department at Lehigh University. This book is an excellent guide for the beginner in the field as well as for the intelligent lay reader. It may well have an even greater value in dispelling bias, for when psychotherapists search herein for their own procedures they will find them, but in addition will be exposed to unambiguous information on many other points of view. From the beginning, Dr. Millon makes it clear that he intends to slight no school of thought, nor does he. If he cherishes a secret commitment to any certain model (other than perhaps so-called "field theory") I, for one, could not find it. His criticisms are

Modern Psychopathology: A Biosocial Approach to Maladaptive Learning and Functioning

The developmental psychopathology clinical and theoretical framework has proposed a bio-psycho-social model that integrates biological, environmental, social, and psychological factors to disentangle the underpinning mechanisms of the intergenerational transmission of psychopathological risk [...].

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/24/9222/pdf

Special Issue: Parent-Child Interactions: Paths of Intergenerational Transmission of Psychopathological Risk

An increase in narcissism has been reported by experts over the years. Narcissists bring a lot of negative consequences to themselves and to the people around them. This study investigates that perceived parenting leads to the development of inflated, unstable self-concept. The inflated self-concept lays the framework for the development of narcissistic traits among individuals; perceived parenting affects this relationship. A sample of 628 adults was taken from North Cyprus through purposive sampling. Scales for perceived parenting, self-concept, and narcissism were administered. Results showed that the statistically significant variance in the self-concept is explained by perceived parenting. Both mothers and fathers contributed significantly to the development of inflated self-concept. Moreover, multiple linear regression results showed a higher significant variance in narcissistic traits due to self-concept compared with perceived parenting. Mediational tests also showed that high levels of narcissistic traits were indirectly related to self-concept through perceived parenting. The study findings have challenged the notion of only mothers being responsible for narcissistic traits among their children. The study results also suggest that targeting self-concept in individuals with narcissistic traits may be a good directive for therapeutic interventions.

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Effects of Self-Concept on Narcissism: Mediational Role of Perceived Parenting

This study contributes to the literature on the parental correlates of children's narcissism. It addresses whether parental overvaluation may drive the putative link between parents' narcissism and children's narcissism and self-esteem. The cross-sectional design involved a community sample of 519 school-age children (age ranging from 9 to 11 years old) and their parents from an Italian urban context. Child-reported measures included narcissistic traits and self-esteem, while parent-reported measures included narcissistic traits and overvaluation, as well as parenting styles. A series of structural equation models, run separately for mothers and fathers, showed that both parents' narcissism was directly and positively related to overvaluation and the children's narcissistic traits; overvaluation partially mediated the indirect link between the fathers' and children's narcissistic traits. None of the parenting-style dimensions were related to the children's outcomes, with the exception of the mothers' positive parenting being directly and positively related to children's self-esteem. These findings shed new light upon the parental correlates of child narcissism by suggesting that mothers and fathers convey their narcissism to their offspring through differential pathways. Our findings may be understood from universal as well as cultural specifics regarding the parenting roles of mothers and fathers. Clinical implications for the treatment of youth narcissism suggest the potential of targeting not only children but also their parents.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/15/5515/pdf

Barbara Iacobellis

Papers

The Apple of Daddy's Eye: Parental Overvaluation Links the Narcissistic Traits of Father and Child.

Parenting practices and dysregulation profile in a sample of Italian children.