Disclaimer: ASK DR. VAN PELT is a registered trademark, patent, 'copywrite' of Sam the Eagle Enterprises INC, ABC, NBA and the Eatafly Foundation. Any and all inferences or implications that The Philip Kleins, their various entities, companies, or personalities that inhabit their psyche are NUTTIER THAN A LOON are purely coincidental.Today, we are going to continue our discussion on malignant narcissism:
Individuals with malignant narcissism will often display multiple personalities (like referring to themselves in the plural). The narcissist uses an alter ego (like that of the editor of a Review) to help them create a false self to society, one that will help them increase their sense of superiority. This creation of an alter ego is linked to the narcissist's fear of being inadequate or inferior (like having multiple failed marriages and businesses). This "alter ego mask" worn by the narcissist is ingrained into their personality, because they constantly want to project a sense of superiority to others at all times.
Over time, the narcissist gains a sense of self worth and personal insight from the feedback of other people (like 'reader mail') . It is common for the malignant narcissist to suffer from extremely low levels of self-esteem.
This conjured up alter ego (or false self) of the malignant narcissist is created because their 'real persona' rarely ever meets the expectations set by the narcissist. Instead, the narcissist tends to mimic emotional displays of other people, and creates a grandiose self to harbor their internalized fantasies of greatness. This alter ego is used in two primary ways by the narcissist:
To form "what seems to the outside world", a normal, functioning and empathetic human being. To create an illusion of greatness, because the narcissist entertains fantasies of an idealized self.
