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Comparison of Kernberg’s and Kohut’s Theory of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Ana SCHMIDT
2019 30(2): 137-141
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Narcissism is a recurring topic of psychoanalysis since its beginningand has gained a place in everyday language of modern societies.However, there still exist gaps and limitations in our knowledge ofnarcissistic personality disorder (NPD), which presents the need forbetter integration of already existent theoretical conceptualisations ofthe disorder. In the present paper, we have examined the theories of,Otto Kernberg and Heinz Kohut, the two most influential, howeverdisagreeing, psychoanalytic thinkers on the topic. For the purpose ofthe comparative review, we have examined multiple convergences anddivergences of their theories. We have examined the development ofnormal narcissism of infancy and childhood, which is essential forhealthy development of the individual; characteristics and course ofpathology conceptualisation, in which we also addressed the cause andsource of the pathology; attitudes and behaviours relating to objectrelations; classification of the pathology; and treatment applications.The review indicates that, despite divergences, both theories represent avaluable theoretical perspective of the disorder, which can be observedin the modern application of these theories in different evidence basedpsychoanalytic treatments.