Psychology

Posted: November 30th, 2013

Psychology

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Psychology

            Sigmund Freud refers to narcissism as the love for oneself that acts as a drive for one’s protection against danger. These impulses cannot be separated from one’s sexual desires that are directed at other individuals and one’s desire for themselves. There are two different types of narcissism, primary and secondary narcissism. Primary narcissism is whereby sexual desire is directed at oneself. In this case, the person looses sexual attachments of the worldly objects. On the other hand, secondary narcissism is primary narcissism at its extreme. This is present in all human beings. Primary narcissism is seen in children, in their belief, in magical things such as, a wish for something will make it real.

This shows individual belief of oneself as powerful, such that they can be able to influence reality. This according to Freud is part of development in human beings. In order for a unity to exist in a person from the beginning, they must first develop the ego. Various experiences explain the narcissism concept and show how the libido varies in external objects and the ego. They include organic disease, hypochondria and human sexuality. Organic disease shows narcissism, such that when a person is ill, they lose interest in the exterior world and objects, in that they are not part of the person’s suffering. When one is sleeping or when they are ill, their libido is drawn more to the ego and self. It is at this point that the concentration on oneself increases.

This is the same in hypochondria, where an individual withdraws their sexual desires from exterior objects and focuses them on the part of the sick body. In this, the mind is also able to create perceptions that the body is sick, even though medical reports and screening show otherwise. Through the concept of hypochondria, the body is capable of giving sexual stimulation, as long as the ego can give libidinal energy to that part of the body. Neuroses are affected by the quality of the mind being able to produce sensations at any part of the body, by concentrating libido in the areas. In order to sustain health, an individual should be able to balance their ego with love. The libido can be withdrawn from or directed into the ego and other objects. Mental illness occurs when an individual focuses their libidinal energy in objects that do not offer enough satisfaction.

The distribution of libido contributes to the mental states of individuals. These include vestiges of a passed condition of the neuroses, hypochondria, regressions and megalomania due to the libido withdrawal from exterior objects and finally hysteria, obsessional or schizophrenia neuroses due to the recover of withdrawn libido in objects. Another observation in narcissism is infants whose sexual objects are their parents or guardians, in this case, the mother especially. According to Freud, auto-eroticism explains the concept of the way that an infant visualizes its body as a representation of a sexual object and its libido, on its caregiver as the source of satisfaction.

It occurs even before the existence of the ego, while narcissism occurs through the collaboration of the ego and the libido. In this case, the ego instincts determine the sexual instincts. Freud expresses that the condition of perverts and homosexuals is caused by the disruption of sexual development. Love towards other reflects the love one has for oneself or the quality that another possesses and you to desire to acquire.