Psychoeducation for Pathologic Narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder: A Review and Proposal for a Good Psychiatric Management-based Six-week Group Program.

Pathologic narcissism (PN) and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) are 2 common and stigmatized clinical constructs that are known to have large consequences for patients' functioning and mental health-related outcomes. To date, no treatment for these conditions has been empirically validated, but there is a relative consensus about the importance of psychoeducation. Here we present a model for a psychoeducational intervention for patients with PN or NPD. We start with a review of the current evidence on the role of psychoeducation in different treatment models for PN, and we discuss several aspects regarding the content and format of this type of intervention. Based on this review, we outline a 6-week Good Psychiatric Management-based psychoeducation group program that we developed. We also describe how such a psychoeducational intervention can be implemented individually, with fewer resources, in general care settings. Finally, we discuss the strengths and limitations of our approach and elaborate on the rationale for our proposal. We believe that this program proposal is a first step in the development of psychoeducational programs for PN and NPD that can be further corrected and enhanced.

Can Patients With Narcissistic Personality Disorder Change? A Case Series.

ABSTRACT: The study was set out to establish the potential for psychotherapy to effect improvements in patients with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Eight patients with NPD who improved in treatment were identified. Consensus clinician/investigator diagnostic scores from before and after the psychotherapies were retroactively established on the Diagnostic Interview for Narcissism (DIN) and the Diagnostic Statistic Manual for Psychiatric Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) Personality Disorder Section II criteria. Psychosocial functioning (work or school, romantic relationships) before and after the psychotherapies was retroactively evaluated as well. At the completion of the therapies after 2.5 to 5 years, all patients had improved, no longer met DIN or DSM-5 criteria for NPD, and showed better psychosocial functioning. Symptomatic improvements were associated with large effect sizes. In conclusion, changes in NPD can occur in treatment after 2.5 to 5 years. Future research should identify patient characteristics, interventions, and common processes in such improved cases that could help with development of treatments.

Pathological narcissism's impact on psychodynamic group therapy for perfectionism.

Several decades of theory suggest that pathological narcissism (PN) may limit psychotherapy success, but empirical evidence for such theories is limited and mixed. In addition, it has been proposed that individuals with high levels of PN may benefit more from supportive compared to interpretive psychodynamic therapies, but no studies thus far have investigated this question empirically. As such, our study aimed to extend past research by investigating (a) whether higher levels of pretreatment PN predict poorer treatment outcome and (b) whether the type of psychodynamic therapy (supportive or interpretive therapy) moderates these findings, in a sample of patients undergoing group psychodynamic psychotherapy for perfectionism. The sample was drawn from the University of British Columbia Perfectionism Treatment Study II (Hewitt et al., 2023) and consisted of 80 treatment-seeking adults with elevated perfectionism. Contrary to expectations, multilevel and multiple regression analyses showed that pretreatment PN did not significantly predict posttreatment changes in symptom severity, life satisfaction, or work and social impairment. We also did not find that either grandiose or vulnerable narcissism predicted likelihood of patient dropout. Finally, treatment type did not moderate the relationship between pretreatment PN and treatment outcome, suggesting that, contrary to our hypotheses, PN does not impact treatment outcome regardless of the interpretive nature of the psychodynamic group therapy. These results, taken together with past findings, suggest that PN may not be associated with poorer psychotherapy outcomes in certain contexts, such as in the case of supportive or interpretive psychodynamic group psychotherapy for perfectionism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Narcissistic personality disorder in the ICD-11: Severity and trait profiles of grandiosity and vulnerability.

Modern diagnostic and classification frameworks such as the ICD-11 and DSM-5-AMPD have adopted a dimensional approach to diagnosing personality disorder using a dual "severity" and "trait" model. As narcissistic personality has historically struggled to be adequately captured in dominant diagnostic systems, this study investigated the utility of the new ICD-11 framework in capturing diverse narcissistic expressions. Participants were mental health clinicians (N = 180, 67% female, age = 38.9), who completed ratings of ICD-11 personality severity, trait domains and a clinical reflection for two hypothetical case vignettes reflecting either prototypical "grandiose" or "vulnerable" narcissism. The majority of clinicians (82%) endorsed a diagnosis of personality disorder for both grandiose and vulnerable vignettes. Discriminant elements of personality impairment included rigid, unrealistically positive self-view, low empathy and high conflict with others for grandiosity, and incoherent identity, low self-esteem and hypervigilant, avoidant relations with others for vulnerability. Regarding trait profile, grandiose narcissism was predominately dissocial whereas vulnerable narcissism was primarily associated with negative affectivity and detachment. Qualitative responses highlight distinct clinical themes for each presentation. These findings suggest that clinicians using the ICD-11 framework are able to identify common core elements of personality dysfunction in grandiose and vulnerable narcissism while also recognizing their distinctive differences.

Association between pathological narcissism and emotion regulation: The role of self-mentalizing?

Pathological narcissism (PN) is a common psychopathological issue leading to maladaptive strategies to cope with self-esteem threats, including self-enhancement and exploitation (grandiose strategies) or internalized shame, depression, and social withdrawal (vulnerable strategies). Mentalizing is a key process for regulating self and other representations and their associated emotions. Patients with PN further struggle with emotion dysregulation (ED), which during development is intertwined with the growing capacity to mentalize. We seek to contribute to emerging empirical data documenting the associations between PN and ED and between PN and mentalizing, and to provide information on the nature of their mutual relationships. In the present study, we assessed PN, ED, and three mentalizing dimensions (mentalizing self, other, and motivation to mentalize) in 183 patients consulting in our outpatient unit specialized in ED. We found that narcissistic vulnerability was negatively associated with self-mentalizing and positively associated with overall ED, both even after adjustment for borderline and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. However, the association with ED was not maintained after further adjustment for self-mentalizing or overall-mentalizing, which suggests that mentalizing may play a mediating role in this relationship. On the other hand, narcissistic grandiosity was positively associated with other-mentalizing and ED and negatively associated with self-mentalizing in bivariate analyses, but these last two associations were not maintained after adjustment for comorbid borderline and/or ADHD symptomatology. This study provides new information on the link between PN and ED and on key mentalizing dimensions meaningfully relating to PN, notably through a potential role of self-mentalizing processes between PN and ED.

Adult ADHD and pathological narcissism: A retrospective-analysis.

Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often associated with personality pathology. However, only few studies have been conducted on the link between ADHD and pathological narcissism (PN), with or without a diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). In order to fill this gap, PN and NPD were assessed in 164 subjects suffering from ADHD, with several other measures including ADHD severity, quality of life, depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and emotion dysregulation (ED). We found that a significant proportion of ADHD patients suffered from NPD, and that both narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability were associated with ADHD hyperactivity and impulsivity symptoms, but not with inattentive symptoms. These two dimensions seemed to be negatively associated with well-being and positively associated with most of the other studied psychiatric dimensions except ED, the latter being only associated with vulnerability, even after adjustment on borderline symptoms. Overall, despite important limitations that limit the generalizability of our findings to the overall ADHD population (notably linked to selection bias), we believe that this exploratory study sheds light on the potential clinical relevance of narcissistic pathology in adult ADHD patients.

What do we need in order to successfully treat persons with pathological narcissism? How does change happen? Treatment principles and mechanisms of change emerging from single cases treated by experts: A commentary.

Persons with pathological narcissism (PN) or narcissistic personality disorder present with a wide array of symptoms and social problems. They need effective psychotherapies but empirical evidence for what works with them is mostly lacking. In this issue of the Journal and Clinical Psychology: In Session four authors from different orientations described single cases of patients suffering from different manifestations of PN. In this commentary we reviewed in detail the four cases and tried to distill (a) the treatment principles adopted; (b) the actual mechanisms of therapeutic change. We hope that the list of principles and mechanisms and change we identified here can help both clinicians and researchers develop and test effective options for persons with PN who are difficult to treat but do have chances to change in a meaningful way in treatment.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder as Prodromal Feature of Early-Onset, GRN-Positive bvFTD: A Case Report.

Background: Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) typically involves subtle changes in personality that can delay a timely diagnosis. Objective: Here, we report the case of a patient diagnosed of GRN-positive bvFTD at the age of 52 presenting with a 7-year history of narcissistic personality disorder, accordingly to DSM-5 criteria. Methods: The patient was referred to neurological and neuropsychological examination. She underwent 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and genetic studies. Results: The neuropsychological examination revealed profound deficits in all cognitive domains and 3T brain MRI showed marked fronto-temporal atrophy. A mutation in the GRN gene further confirmed the diagnosis. Conclusions: The present case documents an unusual onset of bvFTD and highlights the problematic nature of the differential diagnosis between prodromal psychiatric features of the disease and primary psychiatric disorders. Early recognition and diagnosis of bvFTD can lead to appropriate management and support for patients and their families. This case highlights the importance of considering neurodegenerative diseases, such as bvFTD, in the differential diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, especially when exacerbations of behavioral traits manifest in adults.

[Relations Between Rape Myths and Behavioral and Personality Characteristics in Males Convicted of Rape]. / Verhaltens- und persönlichkeitsbasierte Korrelate von Vergewaltigungsmythen bei Männern, die aufgrund einer Vergewaltigung verurteilt wurden.

OBJECTIVE: To date the relationships between rape myths and other psychological constructs within males who have committed rape have not been explored sufficiently. Considered as a risk factor for the perpetration of rape it seems significant to examine their association to individual behavioral and personality characteristics more in detail. METHODS: Therefore, we analyzed the relations between self-reported rape myth acceptance and the self-evaluation of aggressiveness, assertiveness, hypersexuality, social anxiety, sexual anxiety, SCID personality characteristics and the external assessment of psychopathy within a sample of N=569 males convicted of rape. RESULTS: The results showed significant correlations with all constructs except sexual anxiety, antisocial personality and psychopathy. Furthermore, findings indicated the assignment of the relevant variables to two principal components: rape myths, aggressiveness, hypersexuality, paranoid and narcissistic personality (K1) on the one hand and psychopathy and antisocial personality (K2) on the other hand. DISCUSSION: Following the results, rape myths are contextualized within the investigated psychological constructs and their potential differentiation from psychopathy and antisocial personality is discussed.

A case report of the treatment of narcissistic personality disorder with transference focused psychotherapy.

The following case study provides a description of the transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) treatment of a young man diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). TFP is an individual, psychodynamic therapy developed to treat a range of personality disorders. TFP is evidence-based for the treatment of borderline personality disorder and has been adapted for the treatment of NPD. This case illustrates the application of the strategies and techniques of TFP to treatment of NPD as well as challenges clinicians may face in arriving at timely diagnosis of the disorder. Although no specific treatment for NPD has been empirically validated, TFP utilizes the therapeutic techniques identified across modalities for successful treatment of pathological narcissism. This report describes how treatment interventions such as goal setting, developing a therapeutic alliance, using a treatment contract and addressing treatment interfering behaviors contributed to this patient's improvement in self-reflection, formation of healthier and more flexible ideas about self and other, increased self-agency, tolerance of normative disillusionments and increase in empathy.

Filling the form: Expressive Therapies Continuum-guided treatment of narcissistic personality disorder.

Sara was a 65-year-old Caucasian woman who requested art therapy after the death of her partner. She had experienced incest by her father and verbal abuse by her mother until she left home at 21. Her life was characterized by broken relationships due to alienating anger outbursts and an interrupted work history; she met three criteria for narcissistic personality disorder. Sara initially was socially isolated and intellectualizing. She desired recognition but was fearful of exposure. The Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) theoretical framework, which consisted of a gradual progression from cognitively-dominated sessions to more emotionally focused processing, guided the therapeutic work. The ETC theory encourages transparency and collaboration between therapist and client regarding therapeutic tasks and goals, and provides a framework for addressing and repairing ruptures in the therapeutic alliance. Art therapy began with the cognitive tasks which Sara completed relatively comfortably, then encouraged integration of emotion via expressive writing, diagrams, and body mapping. Through careful attention to repair of ruptures by directly discussing and adapting the direction and tasks of therapy, Sara slowly was able to experience emotions other than anger. She integrated cognitive and emotional insights about her life and developed empathy for her childhood self. At termination Sara had cultivated two friendships and met only one criterion of NPD. Limitations of this case study include a lack of research evidence for ETC-guided art therapy with NPD clients and by the retrospective approach. Future research efforts could provide this support by encouraging clinicians to conduct prospective case study research.

A Rebuttal To Psychoanalytic Biography Of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938) was the founder of the modern-day Turkish Republic. Although much has been published about his life, only one biography adopted a psychological/psychoanalytic perspective. The authors Vamik Volkan and Norman Itzkowitz argued that the main driving mechanism behind Atatürk's behavior was his narcissistic personality organization. Their framework considered Mustafa's birth, which occurred shortly after his elder brothers had passed away, and how his mother, presumably in a state of severe depression, could not provide adequate emotional care, which gave way to compensatory narcissistic tendencies in the child. For several decades, the hypothesis has remained unchallenged, and no serious review has yet been carried out. In this article, I argue that Mustafa Kemal was a highly intelligent and gifted child based on his well-developed verbal skills and his record as a high achiever at school. While considering the impact of adverse events in early childhood on cognitive development and personality, a review of historical texts revealed that his elder brothers died in 1883-not before Mustafa's birth, as the authors had believed. Thus, no serious event appears to have taken place in his early years when rapid brain development is thought to occur. Since the central premise has lost its integrity to support the biography, Volkan and Itzkowitz's hypothesis can no longer be regarded as tenable and viable.

Homework assignments in relational psychoanalytic treatment of personality disorders: A case study of a patient with narcissistic personality disorder.

Homework assignments, or specific tasks patients are asked to engage in or complete between sessions, are a controversial topic among psychoanalysts. While many argue these interventions contradict psychoanalytic principles, others believe they can help address problems and promote coping skills. We propose that homework can be a legitimate aspect of relational psychoanalysis when used in a way that is attuned to the patient's experience and that homework may be an important component of treating personality disorders (PD). We present the case of a man diagnosed with narcissistic PD. He often felt superior to and reported that he despised others, though the core self-image was of fragile. He embraced the role of the omnipotent caregiver, which came with boredom and anger and lack of satisfaction in his social life. The patient tried to control therapy, asserting that he could psychoanalyze himself. As a result, therapy was stalled and progress was limited. At this point, the therapist asked him to complete homework assignments that encouraged him to refrain from his compulsive caregiving to better understand what motivated this behavior. Through this process, the patient came to realize he acted out of avoidance, as he did not want to disclose his own vulnerabilities and flaws. At that point he was able to experience relationships while adopting different stances and finding new meanings. We argue that homework can be fully integrated into the relational psychoanalytic repertoire to improve self-reflection and foster change in patients with PD.

Testing and treatment-by-attitude in psychotherapy for pathological narcissism: A clinical illustration.

Pathological narcissism is a personality constellation comprising distorted self-image, maladaptive self-esteem regulation, and difficulties in intimate relationships. Patients with elevated pathological narcissism may not necessarily meet criteria for narcissistic personality disorder, and may seek treatment for a range of mental health concerns across various clinical settings. An understanding of key principles of control-mastery theory (CMT) can help clinicians understand the specific goals and challenges of the individual patient with pathological narcissism, and can illuminate ways in which the patient may work in psychotherapy. This paper outlines how patients with pathological narcissism may engage in testing of their pathogenic beliefs, and how therapists can respond in ways that facilitate the patient's sense of safety and foster psychological work. The role of the therapist's attitude is highlighted as a means for countering pathogenic beliefs associated with pathological narcissism. Clinical material from a single case of time-limited supportive psychotherapy will be used to illustrate these principles and associated therapeutic processes. Insights from CMT regarding pathogenic beliefs and the patient's plan for addressing them can help to explain how therapy works or does not work for patients with pathological narcissism.

The ongoing rewriting of the therapeutic contract in Metacognitive Interpersonal Therapy for narcissistic personality disorder: The case of Mark.

In order to effectively treat individuals suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), it is crucial to establish therapeutic goals and identify tasks to achieve them. However, this is a challenging process with NPD patients because they often struggle to find meaningful goals beyond the pursuit of status. Moreover, in order to change Furthermore, to promote change, they must confront painful emotions such as shame, guilt, or fear, which they habitually try to avoid. Additionally, they face difficulties in forming a positive perception of their therapists and cooperating towards mutually agreed-upon goals and tasks. As a consequence, NPD patients ask for change but hardly engage themselves in the work necessary to achieve it. Therapists therefore need to pay the uttermost attention to drafting, negotiating and continuously updating a reasonable and realistic therapeutic contract. In this paper we describe the story of a man in his thirties with NPD who was ridden with depression, guilt, envy and anger and did not find ways to pursue the healthy and adaptive behaviors he would need to pursue in order to leave a richer social life. The therapist overcame ruptures in the therapeutic alliance and then involved the patient in a process where they set the steps to follow, making sure the patient was convinced they made sense. After a contract was reached progress became possible. Implications for the role of the therapeutic contract in NPD treatment are discussed.

Contemporary slave labor and subjectivity: psychosocial perspectives on the enslaved's narratives / Trabalho escravo contemporâneo e subjetividade: considerações psicossociais sobre narrativas de escravizado(a)s / Trabajo esclavo contemporáneo y subjetividad: consideraciones psicosociales sobre narrativas de personas esclavizadas

This study addresses the relation between subjectivity and contemporary enslaved labor from the enslaved workers' narratives in Brazil. A qualitative social research was carried out based on a constructionist perspective. We sought interaction with rescued workers and used (a) participant observation of workers' routine in an institutional project that supports them and a field diary, (b) semi-structured and open individual interviews with workers and a member of the team project. The fieldwork lasted a year and a half and the analysis followed Content Analysis. Freudian theory and Foucault's thought were used for interpretation, which managed to understand aspects of workers' experiences, exploitation characteristics, parental abandonment, as well as the tensions in self-classification as enslaved. The narratives pointed to a dramatic reality manifested in body exploitation, authoritarian abuses, violence, and negligence. At the same time, these narratives showed forms of worker resistance that calls for further investigations to increase knowledge on the subjective experiences of those who were enslaved.(AU)

O artigo aborda as relações entre subjetividade e trabalho escravo contemporâneo a partir da narrativa de trabalhadores(as) escravazados(as). Foi realizada uma pesquisa social qualitativa em uma perspectiva construcionista. Buscamos a interação com trabalhadores resgatados e realizamos a observação participante da rotina de trabalhadores atendidos em um projeto institucional, com diário de campo, e entrevistas individuais (semiestruturadas e abertas) com trabalhadores(as) e equipe do projeto institucional. O trabalho de campo durou um ano e meio, e a pesquisa foi realizada com o suporte da Análise de Conteúdo. Para a interpretação utilizamos aportes da teoria freudiana e do pensamento de Foucault, com os quais foi possível compreender aspectos das vivências dos trabalhadores, características da exploração, abandonos parentais e tensões em torno da autoclassificação como "escravo". As narrativas apontaram uma realidade dramática manifesta na exploração do corpo, em abusos autoritários, na violência e negligência. Ao mesmo tempo, as narrativas evidenciaram formas de resistência dos trabalhadores que convocam mais investigações para adensar o conhecimento sobre as experiências subjetivas desses que estão num lugar de escravizado(a).(AU)

Este artículo aborda la relación entre la subjetividad y el trabajo esclavo contemporáneo desde la narrativa de trabajadores esclavizados. Se realizó una investigación social cualitativa desde una perspectiva construccionista. Buscamos la interacción con los trabajadores liberados y utilizamos la observación participante de la rutina de los trabajadores atendidos en un proyecto institucional, diario de campo y entrevistas individuales (semiestructuradas y abiertas) con trabajadores y miembros del equipo del proyecto institucional. El trabajo de campo duró un año y medio, y se utilizó como apoyo el análisis de contenido. Para la interpretación se utilizaron aportes de la teoría freudiana y el pensamiento de Foucault, con lo que fue posible comprender aspectos de las vivencias de los trabajadores, características del escenario de explotación, abandono parental y las tensiones relacionadas con la autoclasificación "esclavo". Las narrativas apuntan a una realidad dramática manifestada en la explotación del cuerpo, abuso autoritario, violencia y abandono. Al mismo tiempo, evidenciaron formas de resistencia por parte de los trabajadores, que reclaman más investigaciones para profundizar en el conocimiento sobre las vivencias subjetivas de quienes se encuentran en esclavitud.(AU)

In search of hidden threats: A scoping review on paranoid presentations in personality disorders.

Recent diagnostic developments suggest that paranoia is a transdiagnostic characteristic common to several personality disorders rather than a personality disorder per se. Nonetheless, empirical literature fails to provide comprehensive and univocal findings on whether and how paranoid presentations relate to different personality disorders. In the present scoping review, we map the empirical literature on paranoid presentations in personality disorders, considering the entire spectrum of paranoid manifestations (i.e., the paranoia hierarchy). In selecting original quantitative studies on paranoid presentations in personality-disordered patients, we screened 4,433 records in PsycArticles, PsycInfo and PUBMED. We eventually included 47 eligible studies in the review. Our synthesis indicates consistent empirical evidence of a wide range of paranoid presentations in Paranoid, Schizotypal and Borderline personality disorders. Conversely, little empirical literature exists on paranoid presentations in other personality disorders. Preliminary findings suggest broad-severity paranoid presentations, ranging from milder to severe forms, in Paranoid, Schizotypal and Borderline personality disorders. There is also some evidence of milder forms of paranoia in Avoidant, Antisocial and Narcissistic personality disorders. Conversely, there is poor evidence of paranoid presentations in Schizoid, Histrionic, Dependent or Obsessive-compulsive personality disorders. Research gaps and recommendations for improving empirical research on paranoid presentations in personality disorders are discussed.

Measurement Invariance of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory and Multimethod Examination of Narcissistic Presentations in Community and Clinical Samples.

The Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) is extensively used in recent empirical literature on pathological narcissism. However, most studies using the PNI are community-based, and no studies have used the PNI to investigate narcissistic presentations in personality disordered patients. This study investigates measurement invariance of the PNI in community participants and patients with personality disorders, and examines differences of narcissistic presentations in these samples through a multimethod approach. Results show that the PNI can be used reliably to measure and compare traits of pathological narcissism in community participants and patients with personality disorders. Personality disordered patients show higher traits reflecting vulnerable narcissism and overt manifestations of grandiose narcissism, compared with controls. Finally, network analysis indicates that traits of grandiose fantasies and entitlement rage have a central role in defining manifestations of PNI pathological narcissism, regardless of the presence of an underlying personality disorder. Research and clinical implications are discussed.

Reflexo e sombra: o duplo e o narcisismo em hoffmann e chamisso / Reflection and shadow: the double and the narcissism in hoffmann and chamisso / Reflejo y penumbra: el doble y el narcisismo en hoffman y chamisso

Esta é uma pesquisa qualitativa, em formato de ensaio, que realiza o estudo comparado de duas obras literárias, de A. Von Chamisso e E. T. A. Hoffmann, e de uma anotação do diário deste último para problematizar a repercussão de algumas formas de desestabilizações do Eu na dinâmica psíquica da neurose. O foco dos textos referidos está no fenômeno do duplo na sua forma negativizada, isto é, como o desaparecimento da imagem exterior que dá suporte ao Eu. As ausências da sombra e do reflexo são entendidas como representações metafóricas de uma alteração do Eu que engendra repercussões importantes na homeostase psíquica, sobretudo nas relações sociais de troca. Explora-se daí a menção no diário de Hoffmann de instrumentos ópticos para interrogar o uso desses aparelhos como modelos metapsicológicos na psicanálise. Salienta-se, ainda, a participação de processos de natureza estética na dinâmica psíquica do infamiliar, tomando como referência a ligação entre o conto de Hoffmann e o relato de Stendhal sobre a sua estadia em Florença.(AU)

This is a qualitative research, in essay format, which performs the comparative study of two literary works, by A. Von Chamisso and E. T. A. Hoffmann, and an annotation in the latter's diary to problematize the repercussion of some forms of destabilization of the Ego's in the psychic dynamics of neurosis. The focus of the referred texts is on the phenomenon of the double in its negative form, that is, as the disappearance of the outer image that supports the Ego. The absences of the shadow and the reflection are understood as metaphorical representations of an alteration of the Ego that generates important repercussions on psychic homeostasis, above all in social relationships of exchange. Thus, we analyze the mention of optical instruments in Hoffmann's diary to question the use of these devices as metapsychological models in psychoanalysis. Note, also, the participation of processes of aesthetic nature in the psychic dynamics of the uncanny, taking as reference the connection between Hoffmann's short story and Stendhal's account of his stay in Florence.(AU)

Este ensayo cualitativo realiza un estudio comparativo de dos obras literarias de A. Von Chamisso y de E. T. A. Hoffmann, junto con una anotación en el diario de este último para problematizar la repercusión de algunas formas de desestabilizaciones de la función del Yo en la dinámica psíquica de la neurosis. Los textos se centran en el fenómeno del doble en su forma negativa, como la desaparición de la imagen exterior que sostiene el Yo. Se entienden las ausencias de la penumbra y el reflejo como una representación metafórica de una alteración de la función del Yo que genera importantes repercusiones en la regulación psíquica, sobre todo en las relaciones de intercambio social. Se analiza la presencia en el diario de Hoffmann de instrumentos ópticos para discutir el uso de estos dispositivos como modelos metapsicológicos en psicoanálisis. Se destaca la reverberación de procesos de naturaleza estética en la dinámica psíquica de lo ominoso, tomando como referencia la conexión entre el cuento de Hoffmann y el relato de Stendhal sobre su estancia en Florencia.(AU)