http://orgonomictherapy.

com/2014/08/22/narcissism/
Reich divided his types into Categories: Genital, Phallic, Anal, Oral and Ocular Types. These
are correlated with developmental phases of growth, affecting the character and their
biophysical/energetic progression. If an individual does not sustain the Phallic level, he or she
may drop back to a Pregenital level (an earlier level of development) because those fixations
or blockages dominate the picture. I will be covering the Pregential characters according to
Reich and Object Relations in future posts. For the next few posts, I will be discussing Phallic
Character Types, the first one being the Narcissistic Character Type.
Let me start with a discussion of healthy narcissism. We all need and wish to feel good about
ourselves and experience a consistent and stable sense of our self worth. Our perception of
inherent goodness, wholeness and integrity can translate to creative enterprises and a
willingness to promote ourselves in our world both socially and in the work realm. This is
called healthy entitlement. Therefore, we can have a reasonable agenda and activate it,
allowing our expression of Self to speak in a variety of ways. These efforts represent healthy
stable narcissism without destabilization from negative self-talk and inaction in our life.
Further, our healthy narcissism allows us to be in relationship with others in a reciprocal
fashion that supports others as we support ourselves. We saw these healthy traits in the
Genital Character previously described. Remember, when we have achieved a mentally
healthy condition, life becomes simpler. There is more complexity to living as individuals
slip into neurotic or disordered patterns.
The Narcissistic Character Type has a very different process. It has a well-known brand,
the top dog, which many of you may recognize in yourself or others. First and foremost, the
Narcissistic Type has exaggerated self-confidence and exudes a sense of superiority. He
demands to be in control and does not want to subordinate to anyone. His inflated selfconfidence can lead to poor decisions. Plus, his inability to focus on details due to his
exaggerated self-confidence leads to inflated decisions that can easily fall apart in reality.
Narcissistic Character Types can be quite self-engrossed and self-maximizing. His
predominant and consistent focus is on his own needs, concerns and wishes. He is an
excellent self-promoter who loves the limelight and vies to be seen as special. He expects his
needs to take center stage in his relationship to others. He is often upset if those needs are not
mirrored perfectly by his partners, friends, or colleagues.
The world is their oyster is a good phrase representing a developmental phase from which the
Narcissistic Character did not graduate. This phase of development occurs when the toddler is
still within the orbit of the parent, having not yet separated. She feels imbued with the power
of the parent behind her, so the child feels the world is hers for the taking. There isnt yet the
recognition that she is at risk if she moves too far out of Mom or Dads sphere. Then she
would experience her separateness and that can be a shocking realization at first. In the next
phase of development, she realizes she is differentiated and shuttles back and forth between
the parents for resources. She begins to absorb that she is, at times, separate from her parents.
But while in the parental orbit, she remains empowered and feels omnipotent. So the
Narcissist can be seen as holding at this phase and, given the world is their oyster, they are
filled with a sense of omnipotence. They believe they should get what they want when they

want it and that they are entitled to it. They command, control, dominate and cajole to get
their needs met and there are no limits! Others are an extension of them and not seen as
separate. For example, if they like something, their partner should like it, or if they do a chore
a certain way or have an attitude about an issue, their partner needs to match that exactly for
there to be peace. They can be critical and demanding at times, as they want things to be
perfect to reflect their internalized quest for perfection. This can be troublesome in
relationships!
Narcissist Types go about working everyone to get maximum gain. And they can be
charming, with a charisma that others, who dont have those qualities, are attracted to. Sooner
or later these traits are obnoxious, especially to individuals who are attached to them.
Narcissists can have a glow, due to their power, that attracts fireflies to their light. Because of
that, they can control and dominate others. And, others get burned as the Narcissist takes
what they wants and needs and then moves on.
Narcissistic Characters can be nearly healthy as seen in successful athletes, political figures,
or businessmen. The less healthy Phallic may slide into alcohol and drug addiction, or
depression, and becomes less functional depending on the configuration of earlier
developmental blocks. Less functional Narcissistic Types cannot accomplish as much because
their egos are weaker and their decision making more flawed. These types dont succeed by
external standards but think they are the cats meow. They can be filled with bravado without
any basis in reality, thinking their ultimate success is just around the cornera corner not
even close to their vicinity. I will say more about this lower level Narcissist at the end of this
series when I add in other characters to Reichs typology.
The Narcissistic Type can have grand visions and live the big life. They are status-seekers and
covet power symbols to ensure their need to be recognized and emulated. Narcissistic Types
thrive on winning. They want admiration, are competitive, and likely concerned with their
image, burnishing that to maintain a sense of self worth and dominance. Thus, they live in a
world of idealized others and devalued others. They inflate others look up to them, want to
emulate the more powerful and then devalue those that dont impress them. These feelings
of inflation and deflation are also internal and relate to how they view themselves. They are
on top of their world, or they are failing, not keeping up, not good enough.
They often accomplish a great deal as they have available aggression and that is a positive
aspect of this type. On the other side, they often neglect their close relationships because they
need to maintain their status position and that absorbs their focus. Their relational skills are
compromised as they are usually too inflated to be sensitive or empathetic. They can be
limited in their contact as they are really quite self-engrossed. And, usually, internally they
are competing, in a position of envy, and comparing who is better or worse off. And there is
the overriding concern of what can they get from another.
Narcissists often utilize an attack mode to dominate and control, which is sometimes masked
in a sophisticated style. They will use attack if necessary to maintain their advantage, to
control and dominate. They can escalate in a conversation and over-talk, and raise their voice
and increase their speed to establish superiority resulting in others backing down. Or they
become down right argumentative and rude in order to assert their top dog position.

Narcissistic Types have a great deal of anger as they compensate when they feel internally
insecure, like when they feel they are losing their edge, feel criticized, or have a competitor.
They have to maintain their edge or they can drop into their basic feelings of worthlessness.
They will get angry to maintain their position and cover up their hidden feelings of
inadequacy. They often deny their inherent insecurity because their defenses work well. This
type does not want to stop the speedy, aggressive push forward in order to slow down enough
to make contact and self-examine.
Narcissists are extremely sensitive to criticism. If they even feel the slightest criticism, they
will act defensively. If they anticipate an attack, they will attack first. They have fragile egos
and dont do well with challenge and feedback. They can rear up defensively and dominate
the conversation through fury, or withdraw punitively. They lack flexibility to engage and
drop their defensive structure, because they need to keep their egos protected from demotion.
Sexually, certain issues emerge for the Narcissist. Reichs healthy genital character type
expresses sexuality in the service of expressing love, affection, and closeness. And yes,
sexuality can be visceral and intense as well. When we move to the Phallic Narcissistic male,
they like to manifest their potency through aggression and can express revenge in sexuality.
They can be competitive, asserting power over their partner and wanting to show off their
prowess more than express vulnerability with their partner. The male can wish to primitively
pierce to prove their potency. Phallic Narcissistic women can be competitive, with a need to
cut down and diminish the male. She can be relentlessly critical and is therefore effective in
her ability to dominate and then discard the male she is with.
Biophysically, the Narcissist has a well-proportioned, athletic body with high energy and
vigor. They can be good looking and attract others to them through their good looks. Due to
their high energy, they can be expansive in their actions yet bristle easily due to their high
charge. Also, because they build up energy easily, they can be impatient and overly
aggressive in benign situations. They can move from charming to arrogant and from warmth
to cold withdrawal.
The Narcissistic Characters armoring is general yet focused in an inflated chest, armored
diaphragm with upper body, shoulder, and neck armoring, and tension in the legs. The chest
cannot give in to the breath or yield to softer feelings. There can be other blocks that can
dominate the picture. For example, if there is a significant eye block, then the character turns
more paranoid. If the oral block dominates, then the Narcissist experiences depression. I will
say more in another post on unsatisfied or repressed blocks. These blocks help paint a more
thorough picture with shadings that illuminate each particular person within the character
type.
Narcissists seek therapy when their empires break down. Maybe they lose a good job or their
marriage, get demoted, or otherwise lose their status through loss of wealth, status or power.
Then they begin to feel their weak, fragile, dependent underpinnings. They are habituated to
control and dominate at their work or in their families. Suddenly, the hierarchical status
symbols are waning. Aging, loss of image, illness, loss of control: all these types of situations
challenge the Narcissistic Character. They are not flexible in adjusting to losses that affect
their identity. They can fall into depression, lose motivation, and become unstable and

anxious. Or they throw temper tantrums and rage at their weakening defenses. They have
been bolstering themselves with external approval and external identity and, when that shifts,
they experience alienation, fragmentation, loss of self, and depression.
Phallic Types who cannot maintain their dominance over their lifetime or who initially did
not get their emotional needs met in their family of origin will become chronically depressed.
They fall into our next type: the Chronic Depressive covered in my next post.
In working with this type, the Orgonomist dismantles all defenses listed above. As this type is
extremely sensitive to criticism and will fight all the way to keep their position of dominance,
the therapy can be quite engaged. As these defenses relent, the individual can feel more
deeply into the underlying issues. The person can examine his or her inner demand to be
special and better-than, and let this false power position go. Then they can relate better to
others and their aggressive approach will fall away. With good therapy, their natural,
exuberant high energy can be put to good use relationally, creatively, and spiritually.
#
Phallic narcissism
Wilhelm Reich first identified the phallic narcissistic personality type, with excessively
inflated self-image. The individual is elitist, a "social climber," admiration seeking, selfpromoting, bragging and empowered by social success.
According to Otto Fenichel, 'Phallic characters are persons whose behavior is reckless,
resolute and self-assured - traits, however, that have a reactive character: they reflect a
fixation at the phallic level, with overvaluation of the penis and confusion of the penis with
the whole body'.[44] Fenichel stressed that 'an intense vanity and sensitiveness reveals that
these narcissistic patients still have their narcissistic needs...for which they overcompensate'.
Others would add that 'the phallic character conceives of sexual behaviour as a display of
potency, in contrast to the genital character, who conceives of it as participation in a
relationship'.
#
http://reichandlowentherapy.org/Content/Character/Scripts/narcissism_symbiotic.html

Narcissism
Narcissism is not associated with any one Lowenian character but rather with a style of life
based on not feeling. Narcissism is not a character (neuro-muscular) defense but an ego
defense. However, it is so deeply structured into most modern people's functioning, that any
character analytic work requires addressing narcissism as a first layer --that is why Alexander
Lowen wrote a book by that name. Narcissism has a particularly potent interaction with the
inspirer character, which is why that character is sometimes called the 'narcissistic character',
but in my opinion there is not a narcissistic character but rather a narcissistic condition.

Narcissism describes both an individual and a social condition. For an individual, it means
putting the self-image ahead of the self. The term 'image' comes from imagination. The
actual use of imagination supports creativity and growth. In its psychological sense, however,
'image' refers to a static idea of what is successful or desirable. An image is not necessarily
visual but is any ego-based standard of how things should be or standard that is believed to be
special or lovable.The image will be be influenced by the underlying energetic character.
When one is trying to live up to an image, imagination is not being used at all. Rather one is
trying to conform to rules or expectations from the outside that have been taken inside. This
type of striving may provide some motivation to achieve, but in the long run it is detrimental
to the person.
At some point, the person has to choose image over his or her self. Since the self is known
by feelings, in the operation of narcissism, feelings which in any way seem inconsistent with
the image, are denied, suppressed, deadened or compensated. Narcissists are more concerned
with how they look than with how they feel. Narcissism brings people into war with feelings,
their own feelings and the feelings of other people that challenge the denial. And it can
happen the other way round, absence of feeling for any reason will tend toward narcissism.
Narcissism leads to an interest in power and control, over people and situations, both to
avoid unwanted feelings, and to provide motivation in the absence of strong feelings.
Along with this comes seduction and manipulation which well may be unconscious.
Low feeling is not the same as low affect. Where suppression of feeling is severe, such as the
creator character, affect and expression does tend to be low and flat. Denial is an ego function
in which what one refuses to deal with will be blocked from consciousness but still present in
the body. Denial of feelings in narcissism can allow for a more lively appearance overall than
with suppression or deadening of feelings but any actions or responses lack feeling. Still there
is a background affect and vitality that can verge on charming. Denial of feeling can be
somewhat selective. For instance in narcissism, feelings of fear or longing are usually
strongly denied, while feelings of triumph are not.
However, in any undertaking, a definite lack of conviction, passion, or true desire is evident.
Principles may be espoused to fit an occasion, and violated casually or actually reversed
shortly thereafter. The image is considered the ultimate truth. There is a hollowness and
superficiality to the feeling. Denial is less impervious than suppression, there will always be
'sore-spots' which, when touched on, elicit 'narcissistic rage.' As a result of that, there is
usually considerable behavioral adaptation in the service of bypassing sore-spots and
manipulating others to do the same. Group and family 'norms' often arise to protect narcissists
within them.
In narcissism, recognition is a key problem. Recognition not just in the weak sense of being
able to name something, but recognition in the diplomatic language sense--taking a person to
be a fully legitimate, separate, and recognized member of the community and family. A
narcissistic injury is a failure to fully recognize the 'otherness' and the legitimacy of a
child at a critical time in emotional development. Such injuries initiate what can be a
life-long problem with recognition. It is known that lack of unconditional acceptance is
damaging to a child, but the conditional acceptance (really disapproval) that fills the void at
least is a type of recognition. Conditional recognition is even more damaging. Even
disapproval will be withheld, it is as if the target did not exist. Narcissistic injuries lead to
narcissistic functioning as described below, including in turn, only recognizing others
conditionally upon their providing the desired type of mirroring.

Attention is a related concept but not the same as recognition. Attention may or may not be
craved and may or may not be monopolized, but recognition is always either craved or rarely,
phobically avoided. Conversely, attention gained by 'putting on as show' will never feel like
satisfying recognition. The affected person desires recognition but also fears it, because the
true self believes itself to be in danger if recognized. Hence the over-involvement in images
described in the paragraph above that goes along with an obsession of the recognition of the
image by others. Evidence inevitably emerges that the person is not this chosen image. This
is usually so anxiety provoking that unconscious or or even conscious efforts are made to
destroy or ignore the evidence. In that way, narcissism brings people into war also with the
facts and with the positions of others. Ironically, the fragility of narcissistic functioning make
for a tendency to constantly experience a secondary-type of narcissistic injury when the
image is invalidated by people or events.
With narcissism, there may be recognition seeking, which in present day culture is accepted
or even considered virtuous, or there may be recognition demanding, which is somewhat
abrasive (for the time being), but the engine driving either is the same. In past eras, there have
been hero stories. In the present era, there are success stories. A hero embodies an attribute,
which is demonstrated by an adventure. The hero doesn't seek recognition, but rather just to
address, with integrity, obstacles that arise. In a success story, the protagonist wants to excel
and get results superior to others in order to be recognized. There are 'status symbols' and
conspicuous consumption. Success is not succeeding in an achievement only, but being
recognized for it. Most recently success has been streamlined to celebrity. With celebrity, the
achievement is dropped in many cases leaving pure recognition. We no longer have heroes,
we have celebrities, and this is an aspect of social narcissism which dovetails with personal
narcissism.
Although equity with others is always a problem, narcissists do understand an exchange.
They do not understand sharing, however. Sharing is consciously having the same
experience as someone else at the same place and time. It can be a good or a bad experience,
but it requires mutual recognition. Since love is based on pleasure shared, the capacity to love
is devastated. A definite eeriness pervades most joint occasions because of this inability to
share experience
So in briefest terms, narcissism is organizing life around recognition and power rather
than pleasure. There is a tendency to confuse narcissism with psychopathy. With each, there
is a potential for others to be hurt. As mentioned above, narcissism is an ego defense, while
psychopathy is a character defense. Moreover, The narcissistic position is against feeling (and
via that against reality.) The psychopathic position is against others. The two can co-exist of
course but each can exist by itself in a person.
It should be mentioned that almost all psychotherapists chose that profession because they are
consciously trying to overcome (or subconsciously trying to undo) a narcissistic injury. Three
results of this can be a real slowness in recognizing narcissism, difficulty confronting it, and a
tendency to act narcissistically toward clients.
As for clients, the more pathological narcissists will rarely undergo therapy, but when they do
they view it merely as an opportunity to pick up a few tricks to control the responses of
others. Where narcissism is milder, the seemingly adaptive stance of offering oneself up to be
tweaked or perfected is still the problem and not the solution. The task is not to become
perfect but to become real, and allow others to see oneself as such.

Where the developmental conditions of narcissism are present but ego strength and
aggression is less, an incomplete condition, referred to and described by Stephen Johnson as
the symbiotic character, and by Lowen (and many psychoanalytic writers) as the 'borderline
personality' seems to arise. More factors are involved in the formation of the symbiotic
character than just a narcissistic injury and compensatory striving. However, due to an
insufficient felt sense of self the symbiotic gets a sense of identity only by merging with
others. This leads to confusion about boundaries and confusion about who is responsible for
what. There is a danger or tendency to take on the affects, thoughts and beliefs of others, but
this is never a stable situation. The blurring in the boundaries between self and others tends to
lead to two solutions: 1) externalizing all responsibility onto others. This solution may
have to do with 'less ego strength'. It leads to frequent conflict and perhaps the label 'lower
functioning' symbiotic (or borderline in the public mental health sense). 2) internalizing all
responsibility onto the self. This may have to do with relatively more ego strength. As ego
strength varies from situation to situation, the two solutions may alternate, providing an
erratic presentation. While the 'successful' narcissist shifts the basis of identity from self to
image, the symbiotic disavows the self but seeks others to project and instill images in them.
It is common for a narcissist and and a symbiotic to form an enmeshed relationship--this is
the apex challenge of couples' therapy.
On a cultural level, narcissism is evidenced by a loss of human values. The feeling based
values of dignity, integrity, and self-respect become replaced by the ego values of power,
performing, and productivity. What is valued is not that which is human but what is
superhuman or unusual. Success has become more important than good-feeling. A human
'given' is the need to feel some potential or promise in oneself (and this is part of humility).
Quite tragically, with narcissism, the urge is always to be complete or finished. The more
severe the narcissism, the harder it is to answer the question, "What are your hopes and
dreams?" Hence there is always tension with any long term formation process, or any
formation process which entails a great deal of correction from someone else. Compiling
knowledge is usually not much of a problem, but psycho-motor or sensori-motor skills often
are. Real creativity is undermined.
Alexander Lowen made the point that in Victorian times, behavior was strictly controlled
while strong feeling was idealized. This led to hysteria in the Freudian sense in which feeling
forced toward a different outlet than direct action. But in modern times, Lowen asserted,
behavior is much freer but feeling is often removed from it. This leads to narcissism. In the
present day, hysterical disorders are rare, but narcissistic disorders are commonplace. Perhaps
civilization has a hard time permitting high feeling and free behavior at the same time. This is
perhaps sometimes a draw toward those fundamentalist communities that exist today-behavior is restricted but feeling, including sexual feeling, can be quite high.
From the foregoing we can discuss five patterns of narcissism, which I term narrow
narcissism, 'adhesive' narcissism, broad narcissism, powerlessness, and victim-role.
Narrow (or exhibitionist) narcissism is what, in lay terms, is usually meant by the term
narcissism. Sometimes the phrase 'pathological' narcissism is used. Feeling is so blocked and
ignored that there is a decided lack of empathy. Yet self-interest is very active leading a
tendency to exploit and use others. In this setting, self-images tend to be grandiose, and due
to impairment in reality testing, the person believes they are the image. Others will be
coerced or seduced in various ways to make them affirm the image. Along with the belief that
one is great is the belief that being great should be easy, so there is an intolerance of learning

and struggle. A narrow narcissist has an internal locus of control but externalizes
responsibility. Stated another way, he or she internalizes credit and externalize blame. This
combination dominates relationships. There will be entitlement, which is an expectation of
favorable treatment that is divorced from what is happening in the relationship or with the
other person. A frequent format for entitlement is the victim. The narrow narcissist will not
style him- or herself a helpless victim, rather he or she will imply that they are victimized by
the incompetence or malfeasance of others. Real accomplishment is sparse although the
illusion of accomplishment is strong among casual observers. There will be an intolerance for
criticism--not just a dislike or defensiveness about the content of the criticism, which is very
common among all people--but rather the act of criticizing them is seen as an intolerable
offense. Actually, moderately poor reality testing, coupled with robust aggression, in a
complicated culture can be an asset, because narrow narcissists can act contrary to
circumstances, which is inspiring to others and sometimes, the group 'pushes through' to
actual unexpected accomplishment, for which the narcissist takes the credit. Failures, on the
other hand, are shrugged off and the cleanup is left for others. As mentioned above, the
character of the inspirer is closely aligned (but not identical) with narrow narcissism.
Broad (or closet) narcissism is the disorder of our age. This affects most modern people and
is now not only not outside social norms but is actually encouraged by social norms.
Grandiosity is always detectable if one is not confused by the low self-esteem In this
setting feeling is limited but not completely blocked. It leads often to a vague feeling of not
being enough. Everything is about performance, and in fact everything is about the last
performance. Except, unlike narrow narcissism, the person doesn't really believe he or she
has yet become the image they strive for. Also unlike the narrow narcissist, others are not
coerced or seduced, rather the broad narcissist works desperately to achieve the image
'honestly' but of course this is unrealistic. Some manipulation and considerable pleasing of
others will happen. Life is organized around finding sets of expectations to live up to.
These expectations may be railed against as if they were foisted upon the broad narcissist--the
insight is often missing that these expectations are self imposed. The broad narcissist is
willing to work, which can lead to real accomplishment. Even with external success, he or
she often feels like an imposter. They can name but they cannot feel the accomplishment.
There is usually a conflict around receiving recognition: recognition is sought out persistently
but feels uncomfortable when received. This obviously complicates relationships and puts
others off. Broad narcissists are very susceptible to suggestions of what they ought to do
because they seek acceptance. Considerable activity and actual good works are spurred by
this, but all to the naught as far as satisfaction goes. Broad narcissists often end up in
relationships with narrow narcissists because the narrow narcissist seems to have exactly
what the closet narcissist wants.
Adhesive Narcissism: This is sustained only with the help of a relationship. Frequently it
exists in a primary or romantic relationship, but it can also exist in a parent-adult child
relationship. Both partners have narcissistic injuries but one has adapted with a false sense of
self (narcissistic) while the other has had trouble developing much of a solid sense of self
(symbiotic condition) In a sense narrow narcissism is similar in that a 'narcissistic supply' is
constantly needed from others, but in that pattern, the turnover of suppliers is fairly regular
and painless to the narrow narcissist. In adhesive narcissism strong symbiosis ensues and the
'supplying' partner cannot be disposed of without great upheaval. The adhesive narcissist
desires constant mirroring and idealization from the symbiotic partner, while also projecting
human limitations and problems onto him or her. The symbiotic partner lives within the
initiative and agenda of the narcissistic partner. There is a shared belief that the narcissistic

partner has the special ability to bring both partners to a happy state. There is a strong shared
belief that they are working as a team toward shared life goals, but under the surface is a
great deal of sabotage. The symbiotic partner will start to become obsessed with the
narcissist's imperfections, and obsessed with getting him or her to 'own' them, but will be
unable to take initiative or unilateral action. The narcissist will both deflect criticism and
project problems back onto the symbiotic. These relationships tend to exclude other people
and influences, and more and more time is spent together even though the time is strife-filled.
Often a way is found for the partners to work closely together in a business as well as live
together. The enjoyment is low but the bonding is strong. Ego-boundaries are blurred. If
therapy is sought, there will be an insistence for couples or family therapy rather than
individual work. It is the relationship makes it possible for a broad narcissist to function
as a narrow one.
Powerlessness: This is a 'collapsed' or 'symptomatic' state of narcissism. .A distinction must
be made immediately between helplessness and powerlessness. A person who is in a dire
situation and cannot fix it her- or himself may need the complete help and good will of
others. This is helplessness, but it is not really a common situation, however, in everyday life.
More common is a situation in which something is wanted from others, but not getting it
should be survivable. In a mature relationship, people influence each other, but the nature of
that influence is always uncertain. In narcissism, the relationship, that is, the tolerance and
enjoyment of uncertainty, is missing. Therefore narcissism leads to wanting to control the
responses of others. The stance of powerlessness comes from having, simultaneously,
enough reality testing to know that others' responses can't be controlled, but also the
compelling belief that one should be able to control them. Powerlessness is demonstrated
in sarcasm of others' responses, harsh demands, entitlement, feelings of one's self being
controlled, and complaints of powerlessness. The problem is not the absence of this type of
power, but the belief one should have this type of effect. The desire for power stems from the
desire never to be humiliated again. However, like all compensatory mechanisms, the use of
power actually evokes the feeling of humiliation internally, and a vicious circle ensues. The
real antidote to humiliation is dignity not power. With the sense of powerlessness,
opportunities to cooperate, influence situations, or get help are often ruined by a belligerence
and resentment that turns others off. Powerlessness is like a 'decompensated' form of broad
narcissism. Instead of being loyal to an image of success, one is loyal to an image of
failure.
Victim-Role Like powerlessness, this is a collapsed or decompensated form of narcissism.
This is a type of functioning in which the narcissist keeps others involuntarily involved and
pinned down by constantly returning the narrative to injustice and injury. Because all people
naturally respond to someone who has been hurt by setting aside their own interests and
point of view, this is a way of forcing one-sided recognition. While presenting as a victim
seems to be the opposite of grandiose, the grandiosity is evident in the implied entitlement
because normal social friction or reasonable acts of self-interest by third parties will also be
complained about as injuries to the victim-narcissist. The narcissist demands more than to
be heard or acknowledged--they demand merger where the listener forgoes his or her
own self. Occasionally episodic merger may be appropriate and part of emotional intimacy.
However, with the victim-narcissist there is a demand, usually evident also in the tone of
voice, that the listener merge with his or her point-of-view. If the merger does not happen, the
listener is labeled as another victimizer and the victim-narcissist often breaks out.

To repeat, all narcissism comes from an early lack of recognition (which is called a
narcissistic injury and which is a specific type of rejection-- not all rejection is a narcissistic
injury). The person does not feel adequate in and of himself or herself, and is always
performing and exhibiting in an attempt to be lovable. Attempting to obtain love of course
is quite human. In narcissism, though, there is an indirectness and often a deception. All
indirect ways to get love are includable in a very broad definition of narcissism.

The Role of the 'Hardbody' in Narcissism

In our time, a hardbody is an aesthetic ideal. In earlier times, a softer body was the aesthetic
ideal. Though this is thought to be a random change, it is not. It is due to the rise of 'power' as
an ideal. To use power successfully, it is often necessary to act with disregard for feeling.
The connection between the ideal of the hardbody with narcissism is intuitive but it can also
be explained in functional terms. Narcissism, like the use of power, depends on the
suppression of emotion. Real emotion produces an impulse which is translated to the muscles
to prepare for movement. The person may or may not carry out the movement but the
readiness is there, in the supple but ready muscles. To suppress emotion, the muscles are
contracted against the feeling. Eventually this becomes automatic.
Chronically tight muscles become hard. A person may have a large amount of body fat but
the muscles underneath may still be hard. In narcissism, however, a lean appearance is
usually part of the image because it represents control and self-control. Muscles can be
increased in size but still hard and contracted. The purpose of exercise changes from
feeling good to looking good (The endorphin high during exercise is misleading in this
regard--the belief arises that looking good in a hardbody sense and feeling good are the same.
Endorphins in the brain mask pain in the body, that is their purpose.).
A lean hardbody is seen as someone that is powerful because they can act towards a goal
without interference from feeling. Women in general, have softer bodies, and in general, are
closer to feelings. However, since hardbodies are now associated with success, both socially
and in career, women understandably have become desirous of hardbodies. It certainly is
possible to be lean and healthy without being 'hard.' Both yoga and pilates produce supple,
ready muscles. This contrasts with aerobics and weightlifting that produce hard muscles.

Love, work and knowledge are the well-springs of our life. They should also govern it.-Wilhelm Reich

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http://primaryprocess.tumblr.com/post/44352000248/x-some-circumscribedcharacter-forms-iii

Some Circumscribed Character Forms [iii]

3. THE PHALLIC NARCISSISTIC CHARACTER

In everyday life, the phallic-narcissistic character will usually anticipate any impending
attack with an attack of his own. The aggression in his character is expressed less in what he
does and says than in the way he acts. Particularly, he is felt to be totally aggressive and
provocative by those who are not in control of their own aggression. The most pronounced
types tend to achieve leading positions in life and are ill suited to subordinate positions
among the rank and file. When such is the case, as in the army or similar hierarchal
organizations, they compensate for the necessity of having to subordinate themselves by
dominating those beneath them. If their vanity is offended, they react with cold disdain,
marked ill-humor, or downright aggression. Their narcissism, as opposed to that of other
character types, is expressed not in an infantile but in a blatantly self-confident way, with a
flagrant display of superiority and dignity, in spite of the fact that the basis of their nature is
no less infantile than that of the other types. A comparison of their structure with the
structure, for example, of a compulsive character, yields the clearest insights into the
difference between pregenital and phallic-based narcissism. Notwithstanding their
overwhelming concern for themselves, they sometimes form strong relationships to people
and things of the world. In this respect, they show a close resemblance to the genital
character. They differ from the latter, however, in that their actions show a far deeper and
broader tendency to be influenced by irrational motives. This type is encountered most
frequently among athletes, pilots, military men, and engineers. Aggressive courage is one of
the most outstanding traits of their character, just as temporizing caution characterizes the
compulsive character and the avoidance of dangerous situations characterizes the passivefeminine character. This courage and pugnacity of the phallic-narcissistic character have, as
opposed to the genital character, a compensatory function and also serve to ward off contrary
impulses. This is of no special importance as fara s their respective achievements are
concerned.
The absence of reaction formations against his openly aggressive and sadistic behavior
distinguishes the phallic-narcissistic character from the compulsive character. We shall have
to demonstrate that this aggressive behavior itself fulfills a function of defense. Because of
the free aggression in the relatively unneurotic representatives of this type, social activities
are strong, impulsive, energetic, to the point, and usually productive. The more neurotic the
character is, the more extravagant and one-sided in actual fact. Between these actions and the
creation of paranoic systems lie the many variations of this character type. the behavior of the
phallic narcissistic character differs from that of the compulsive character in its
demonstration of greater boldness and less thoroughness with respect to details.
In phallic-narcissistic men, erective potency, as opposed to orgastic potency, is very well
developed. Relationships with women are disturbed by the typical derogatory attitude toward
the female sex. Nonetheless, the representatives of this character type are looked upon as
eminently desirable sexual objects because they reveal all the marks of obvious masculinity
in their appearance. Though not a rarity, the phallic-narcissistic character among women is far
less frequently found. The neurotic forms are characterized by active homosexuality and
clitoral excitability. The genitally healthier forms are characterized by enormous selfconfidence that is based on physical vigor or beauty.
Wilhelm Reich, Character Analysis, p. 218-219