Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Defense Mechanisms in the Context of Narcissism
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Grandiose Narcissism, Vulnerable Narcissim, Emotion Regulation, Defense MechanismsAbstract
Narcissism is a concept characterized by maladaptive self-regulatory strategies aimed at maintaining a grandiose sense of self that is fundamentally fragile. Narcissism is considered in two dimensions: vulnerable and grandiose. Both dimensions share common characteristics such as lack of empathy, arrogance, and hostile attitudes. On the other hand, while grandiose narcissism involves high self-esteem, authority and a strong need to be admired, vulnerable narcissism involves low self-esteem and emotional instability. Emotion regulation difficulties and defense mechanisms play an important role in the emergence and maintenance of narcissistic behaviors. Emotion regulation refers to individuals' understanding of their emotional reactions and capacity to regulate them consciously or unconsciously. Defense mechanisms are mental processes that change the perception of a disturbing internal or external situation in order to protect individuals from negative emotions. Distinctly from emotion regulation mechanisms, defense mechanisms involve unconscious efforts that target only negative emotions. How individuals with narcissism regulate the intense emotional experience they experience in the face of ego threats differs between the grandiose and vulnerable narcissism dimensions. For this reason, understanding how individuals with narcissistic tendencies regulate their emotions and what defense mechanisms they use is important in understanding the different dimensions of narcissism. The current review study aims to examine two dimensions of narcissism, which share a common grandiose ego core but differ in clinical and interpersonal appearance, in terms of the emotion regulation difficulties and defense mechanisms they contain.
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