Dr. Ettensohn answers listener questions and responds to comments in a livestream broadcast from 3-14-24.

This episode is the audio from an on-camera interview between licensed psychotherapist Lisa Taylor-Austin and Dr. Ettensohn. The video of this interview can be viewed on Lisa's youTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@LisaTaylor-Austin

This audio recording is posted with Lisa's permission. This discussion covers numerous topics, from treating pathological narcissism, the diagnostic criteria for NPD, variation in narcissistic pathologies between siblings raised in the same family system, the use of defenses like splitting, and the ever-present stigma surrounding NPD.

Lisa runs the Taylor-Austin Group. Learn more at their website: https://thetayloraustingroup.com/

In this episode, Dr. Ettensohn draws heavily on his own research concerning pathological narcissism and attachment patterns, using attachment theory as a lens to focus explanatory power onto the often confusing dynamics of NPD.

Beginning with a general overview of Bartholomew's four-prototype model of adult attachment, Dr. Ettensohn identifies the most common attachment patterns of individuals with NPD. He describes the relevant research on the development of these patterns and draws parallels with descriptions of early care deficits thought to cause pathological narcissism.

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Cited References: Bartholomew, K. (1990). Avoidance of intimacy: An attachment perspective. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 7(2), 147-178.

Bartholomew. K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61(2), 226-244.

Bennett, C. S. (2006). Attachment theory and research applied to the conceptualization and treatment of pathological narcissism. Clinical Social Work Journal, 34(1), 45-60.

Blatt, S. J., & Levy, K. N. (2003). Attachment theory, psychoanalysis, personality development, and psychopathology. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 23, 104-152.

Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Volume 2: Separation. New York: Basic Books.

Connors, M. E. (1997). The renunciation of love: Dismissive attachment and its treatment. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 14, 475-493.

Dickinson, K. A., & Pincus, A. L. (2003). Interpersonal analysis of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Journal of Personality Disorders, 17(3), 188-207.

Ettensohn, M.D. (2011). The relational roots of narcissism: Exploring relationships between attachment style, acceptance by parents and peers, and measures of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Dissertations and Theses: Full Text. (Publicaiton No. AAT 3515488).

Gabbard, G.O. (1989). Two subtypes of narcissistic personality disorder. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 53, 527-532.

Holdren, M. (2004). Causal attributions among overt and covert narcissism subtypes for hypothetical, retrospective, and prospective events. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Dissertations & Theses: Full Text. (Publication No. AAT 3146467).

Kernberg, O. F. (1970). Factors in the psychoanalytic treatment of narcissistic personalities. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 18, 51-85.

Kobak, R. R., & Sceery, A. (1988). Attachment in late adolescence: Working models, affect regulation, and representations of self and others. Child Development, 59, 135-146.

Main, M., & Stadtman, J. (1981). Infant response to rejection of physical contact by the mother. Journal of the American Academy of child Psychiatry, 20, 292-307.

Otway, L.J., Vignoles, V.L. (2006). Narcissism and childhood recollections: A quantitative test of psychoanalytic predictions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32(1), 104-1116.

Pistole, C. M. (1995). Adult attachment style and narcissistic vulnerability. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 12(1), 115-126.

Scroufe, L. A., Waters, E. (1977). Heart rate as a convergent measure in clinical and developmental research. Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 23, 3-25.

Smolewska, K., & Dion, K. L. (2005). Narcissism and adult attachment: A multivariate approach. Self and Identity, 4, 59-68.