Narcissism And Eating Disorders

Norman Rockwell

Based
on meta-analysis of Cassin & Ranson, 2005, narcissistic personality
disorder is diagnosed in 2% to16% of eating disorder patients, with the lower
estimate of 2% arising from the more reliable assessment procedures.

Research suggests that bulimic attitudes and
behaviors are associated with classic narcissistic personality traits (Brunton,
Lacey, and Waller, 2005), and that restrictive eating is associated with the
“poor me” form of narcissism in which others are viewed as abusive and the
individual must, like a martyr, place the needs of others first (Brunton,
Lacey, and Waller, 2005). As such, there is evidence that narcissistic wounding
is indeed related to eating disorder development and maintenance. Below we explore the
concept of narcissistic wounding in relation to eating disorders

The
Symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

· Similar to the traits of individuals
with strong self-esteem and confidence

· Narcissists have such an elevated
sense of self-worth that they value themselves as inherently better than
others.

· Narcissists have a fragile
self-esteem and cannot handle criticism, and will often try to compensate for their
fragility by putting down others in an attempt to validate their own
self-worth.

How
Does Narcissism Develop?

· If children see disappointment in
their parental mirrors, they believe they are disappointments and develop an
ongoing struggle for acceptance.

· Children use self-centeredness and
grandiose narcissistic behaviors as defenses against cold and unempathetic
parents.

· Grandiosity becomes the compensatory
strategy to deal with feelings of inadequacy and helps a child to focus on what
the child perceives their parents value.

· Narcissistically wounded eating
disorder patients commonly come from families that value fitness and thinness
and disdain people who are overweight.

If children do not experience validation and healthy
praise this narcissistic wounding obstructs and distorts the development of
their identity, creating feelings of inadequacy and a constant need to seek out
mirrors. The goal is to get the mirrors to reflect back a desirable image of
self. Such individuals hope to see in others what they did not see in their
parents: acceptance, approval, love and a sense that they are special and
important. When a narcissist sees this image reflected back, they feel good.
But sooner or later, the mirroring other will criticize or say “no” to the
individual or focus on someone else. This perceived rejection becomes a
narcissistic insult that opens up past wounds, resulting in extreme pain and
rage, known as narcissistic rage. Individuals then use compensatory strategies
to deal with the pain and protect themselves from humiliation.