Look, but Don’t Touch: Narcissist Behavior and the Conservation of Ambivalence

Abstract

Traditionally narcissist behavior was considered to reflect an individual intrapsychic disturbance. However, recent research showed the necessity to account for social circumstances in the conceptualization of narcissist behavior. This article aims to do so from a constructivist/systemic perspective. Based on five cases, a prototype of the narcissist family was constructed using the concept of the conservation of ambivalence. This showed that, at both individual and family levels, narcissist behavior can be seen to serve in an ambivalent way ("look, but don't touch") to conserve an image of being exceptional and superior; simultaneously, it keeps others at a distance so as not to tarnish this image.