By Sam Vaknin

Author of "Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited"



The Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a systemic, all- pervasive condition, very much like pregnancy: either you have it or

you don't. Once you have it, you have it day and night, it is an

inseparable part of the personality, a recurrent set of behavior

patterns.



Recent research (1996) by Roningstam and others, however, shows that

there is a condition which might be called "Transient or Temporary

or Short Term Narcissism" as opposed to the full-fledged version.

Even prior to their discovery, "Reactive Narcissistic Regression"

was well known: people regress to a transient narcissistic phase in

response to a major life crisis which threatens their mental

composure.



But can narcissism be acquired or learned? Can it be provoked by

certain, well-defined, situations?



Robert B. Millman, professor of psychiatry at New York Hospital -

Cornell Medical School thinks it can. He proposes to reverse the

accepted chronology. According to him, pathological narcissism can

be induced in adulthood by celebrity, wealth, and fame.



The "victims" - billionaire tycoons, movie stars, renowned authors,

politicians, and other authority figures - develop grandiose

fantasies, lose their erstwhile ability to empathize, react with

rage to slights, both real and imagined and, in general, act like

textbook narcissists.



But is the occurrence of Acquired Situational Narcissism (ASN)

inevitable and universal - or are only certain people prone to it?



It is likely that ASN is merely an amplification of earlier

narcissistic conduct, traits, style, and tendencies. Celebrities

with ASN already had a narcissistic personality and have acquired it

long before it "erupted". Being famous, powerful, or rich

only "legitimized" and conferred immunity from social sanction on

the unbridled manifestation of a pre-existing disorder. Indeed,

narcissists tend to gravitate to professions and settings which

guarantee fame, celebrity, power, and wealth.



As Millman correctly notes, the celebrity's life is abnormal. The

adulation is often justified and plentiful, the feedback biased and

filtered, the criticism muted and belated, social control either

lacking or excessive and vitriolic. Such vicissitudinal existence is

not conducive to mental health even in the most balanced person.



The confluence of a person's narcissistic predisposition and his

pathological life circumstances gives rise to ASN. Acquired

Situational Narcissism borrows elements from both the classic

Narcissistic Personality Disorder - ingrained and all-pervasive -

and from Transient or Reactive Narcissism.



Celebrities are, therefore, unlikely to "heal" once their fame or

wealth or might are gone. Instead, their basic narcissism merely

changes form. It continues unabated, as insidious as ever - but

modified by life's ups and downs.



In a way, all narcissistic disturbances are acquired. Patients

acquire their pathological narcissism from abusive or overbearing

parents, from peers, and from role models. Narcissism is a defense

mechanism designed to fend off hurt and danger brought on by

circumstances - such as celebrity - beyond the person's control.



Social expectations play a role as well. Celebrities try to conform

to the stereotype of a creative but spoiled, self-centered,

monomaniacal, and emotive individual. A tacit trade takes place. We

offer the famous and the powerful all the Narcissistic Supply they

crave - and they, in turn, act the consummate, fascinating albeit

repulsive, narcissists.





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AUTHOR BIO (must be included with the article)



Sam Vaknin ( http://samvak.tripod.com ) is the author of Malignant

Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West

Lost the East. He served as a columnist for Central Europe Review,

PopMatters, Bellaonline, and eBookWeb, a United Press International

(UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor of mental health

and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory and

Suite101.



Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government

of Macedonia.



Visit Sam's Web site at http://samvak.tripod.com