ENVY AND NARCISSISTIC CHARACTER DISORDER

Nathan Schwartz-Salant, Narcissism and Character Transformation: The Psychology of Narcissistic Character Disorders (Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts) (Toronto: Inner City Books, 1982) ("It is clear that notions such as 'fear of the Self' or 'rejection of the Self' have little meaning within a psychoanalytic framework. At best it is see as the fear of allowing the formation of the narcissistic transferences, lest the earlier wounding be repeated. But this is quite a different thing from fearing the 'will of the Self,' whose numinosity far exceeds the energy content of the ego, In terms of Jung's approach to the psyche, however, it would be the rejection of the Self, the failure to live one's true pattern, that leads to what we now call the narcissistic character disorder." Id. at 23. "Envy, the felt conviction that 'anything I need will be withheld form me, so I will spoil or otherwise destroy the withholding object,' is one of the most difficult emotions to experience and integrate. Envy, the 'evil eye' of folklore, is a central feature of the narcissistic character. It can take a grossly destructive form, but equally a subtle, spoiling one of precisely withholding what a person needs, for instance encouragement, warmth, bodily comfort, etc. In this manner, the narcissistic character often treats people in the way he experiences being treated himself." Id. at 41. "Envy is the dark side of the narcissistic character. I view it with great importance, because I find it to be the 'psychic glue,' the element of affinity that keeps the components of the self, in it grandiose form, cohesively together,  Dealing with envy and its associated components of rage and sadism can allow the deintegration of this self structure. As a result, a properly functioning anima or animus can emerge." Id. at 42-43. "If her partner is stuck in narcissistic  patterns, however, he cannot be of any help to her in her quest for real feminine identity, linked as it always is to the Goddess. The narcissistic male, indeed, is the greatest obstacle to the development in a woman of real, feminine power." Id. at at 112. Query: With many early twentieth-century women opting for same-sex relationships, is a woman's narcissistic female-partner an equal obstacle to the development in a woman of real feminine power? "Anima (Latin, 'soul'). The unconscious, feminine side of a man's personality. She is personified in dreams by images of women ranging from prostitute and seductress to spiritual guide (Wisdom). She is the eros principle, hence a man's anima development is reflected in how he relates to women. Identification with the anima can appear as moodiness, effeminacy, and oversensitivity. Jung call the anima the archetype of life itself." "Animus (Latin, 'spirit'). The unconscious, masculine side of a woman;s personality. He personifies the logos principle. Identification with the animus can cause a woman to become rigid, opinionated, and argumentative. More positively, he is the inner man who acts a a bridge between the woman's ego and her own creative resources in the unconscious." Id. at 180.).