The Addicted Narcissist How Substance Addiction Contributes To
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The Addicted Narcissist How Substance Addiction Contributes to Pathological Narcissism with Implications for Treatment A Hermeneutic Literature Review Kim Laurence MPsychotherapy 2016 The Addicted Narcissist How Substance Addiction Contributes to Pathological Narcissism with Implications for Treatment A Hermeneutic Literature Review Kim Laurence A dissertation submitted to Auckland University of Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Psychotherapy 2016 Department of Psychotherapy Supervisor: Paul Solomon TABLE OF CONTENTS Attestation of Authorship .............................................................................................. i Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... ii Abstract ........................................................................................................................iii List of tables..................................................................................................................iv CHAPTER 1: Introduction .............................................................................................. 1 A Case for Research ........................................................................................... 2 Aims of the Research ......................................................................................... 3 Research Question ............................................................................................ 4 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................ 4 Overview of Chapters ........................................................................................ 5 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................. 6 CHAPTER 2: Context for the Study ............................................................................... 7 Narcissism ......................................................................................................... 7 Healthy Narcissism................................................................................. 8 Pathological Narcissism.......................................................................... 9 The Overt Subtype ............................................................................... 10 The Covert Subtype ............................................................................. 11 A Comparison of the Two ..................................................................... 11 Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) ................................................ 12 Psychoanalytic Perspectives ................................................................. 13 Prevalence ........................................................................................... 14 Substance Addiction ........................................................................................ 14 Substance Use, Abuse, and Dependence .............................................. 15 Substance Use Disorder ....................................................................... 15 The Disease Model of Addiction ........................................................... 16 Recovery Programmes ......................................................................... 17 Psychoanalytic Perspectives ................................................................. 19 Prevalence ........................................................................................... 20 Comorbidity of NPD and SUDs ......................................................................... 21 Chapter Summary ........................................................................................... 21 CHAPTER 3: Methodology .......................................................................................... 22 Qualitative Study ............................................................................................. 22 Hermeneutics .................................................................................................. 22 Researcher Bias ............................................................................................... 23 Reflections ...................................................................................................... 24 Chapter Summary ........................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER 4: Method ................................................................................................... 26 Sourcing Texts ................................................................................................. 26 Sorting and Selecting ....................................................................................... 28 Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria ............................................................................. 30 Applying the Methodology .............................................................................. 31 Chapter Summary ........................................................................................... 33 CHAPTER 5: Findings of the Study .............................................................................. 34 Introduction .................................................................................................... 34 The Chicken or the Egg .................................................................................... 34 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 36 Co-occurrence of Narcissism and Addiction ..................................................... 36 Dual Diagnosis ..................................................................................... 37 Comorbidity ......................................................................................... 38 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 38 Differential Diagnosis ...................................................................................... 39 Antisocial Personality Disorder ............................................................ 40 Depressive Symptomology ................................................................... 40 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 41 Personality ...................................................................................................... 42 Approach and Inhibition Behaviours .................................................... 42 Sensation-seeking ................................................................................ 43 Impulsivity, Disinhibition, and Risk ....................................................... 44 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 45 The Self-medication Hypothesis ...................................................................... 45 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 47 Surrender and Alcoholics Anonymous ............................................................. 48 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 49 A Study on Covert Narcissism .......................................................................... 50 Limitations of the Study ....................................................................... 51 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 51 Limitations of the Available Research .............................................................. 52 A Note on the Interpersonal ................................................................ 53 A Note on My Experience .................................................................... 54 Chapter Summary ........................................................................................... 55 CHAPTER 6: Discussion ............................................................................................... 56 Implications for Treatment .............................................................................. 58 Limitations of this Dissertation ........................................................................ 61 Chapter Summary ........................................................................................... 62 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 62 Final Words ..................................................................................................... 63 References .................................................................................................................. 64 Attestation of Authorship I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person (except where explicitly defined in the acknowledgments), nor material which, to a substantial extent, has been submitted for the award of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institution of higher learning. Kim Laurence 28 September 2016 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to acknowledge my family. Your support helped me get through the challenging times, the challenging times helped to make me stronger and more resilient. I would not be who I am today,