Narcissism In Literary And Artistic Creation Psychology Research

Narcissism is not only a problem of psychology, but also an indispensable factor in literary and artistic creation. This paper attempts to discuss systematically the roles of narcissism in creative drive, creative characteristics, as well as its implementation forms, and make a reflection on how the author transcends narcissism. Such study may make us have deeper understanding on author’s spiritual picture, and provide a new view for explaining the works.The first chapter traces the source and flow of narcissistic theory. Starting from the Ancient Greece and Rome Mythology on "Narcissus" stories. Ng and Ellis are first proposals of narcissistic concept, then to Freud as a systematic discussant on narcissism, who let the term fixed. Freud’s libido theory, Kohut’s self theory, Lacan’s mirror image theory is the deepening and development of narcissistic study. After this, the chapter analyses several narcissism forms in the creation process. One is called projection, which means the objects become a carrier of self characteristic after ego-libido’s perfusion to the objects, then the subject overcomes the object and reach the unification with it; One is called identification, namely by imitation, self is assimilated into the object and then has the characteristics of the object, which is a kind of desire becoming the others and the subject is ablated into the object and reached the same; Another is called empathy, that is subject and object respect each other and keep independent, for the empathy form main experience of his own, the subject and the object unite as one in a non domination and non forcing situation.The second chapter is to solve "how narcissism exists as a creative force". As a result of narcissistic energy’s filling which make more power overflow, a daydream tendency happens with a character of fantasy and game and become the creative driving force. Daydream tendency in the novels is embodied as "all stars twinkled around the bright moon" and "omnipotence sense" two modes. The former means the author prefers to repeatedly create a love mode of many heterosexuals loving a protagonist; The latter shows the protagonist enjoy s the supreme power without any worry and always around luck. So the process during daydream creation is a kind of fulfillment for author. Another drive of such creation is due to the libido compensation, such condition is called "compensatory narcissistic", which reflects the mutual transformation between narcissism and self-esteem, that is another form of narcissism. The performance of self-esteem is to escape from the real world, desire for transcendence and redeem in writing. So narcissism and self-esteem is bipolar swing from the same drive. The third chapter discusses how the trait of narcissism influences the creator’s creation and life. Narcissism is a double-edged sword, on one hand in the creation, it can conduct a spiritual power, feeling breadth and existing depth; on the other hand, it may bring about much inconvenience with the excessive development of the narcissism. The artist’s love is actually a kind of "imagination passion", namely the object of love exits as perfect narcissism imagination, this kind of love begins with passion and ends in fracture. For soaring in ideal but losing in reality, and in order to defending the independence of creation, artists fear marriage; but at the same time, psychic energy is so abundant to make them fall in love again and again, Which makes them a life full of turmoil, but create brilliant canto. The creation for the artist’s life also has two sides, it is not only a way of healing, but may also exacerbate the symptoms of narcissism, Specifically, ideal country building on literature often in a collision with reality, and the pursuit of immortal thirst will also offer the artist art altar, creation is touch with fire carrying the madness and death.The fourth chapter discusses the implementation form of narcissism in the works. Narcissism has life instinct and death instinct two degrees. The former is typically showed in the mirror of love of female writing. Women pay more attention to the self and their own bodies, which are regarded as new significance for existing and main way for returning to their own. At the same time, as the distortion between reality and mirror image, female writers often create the weak image of men, which is also based on the distortion between the self and the other. Female writers need to be alert to the addiction into the self image. In the narcissistic death instinct tends as another side, Sadmasochism is the typical. Sadmasochism can be divided into the sadism and the masochism, both of which have symbiosis. When the sadism and masochism are done by one person, called Self-Masochism.The fifth chapter is mainly about the necessity and possibility in creator transcending narcissism and also how to avoid some errors. The necessity is resulted from the facts the creator is starting from personal experience, but unable to produce excellent works confined to the "Individualized principle"; The possibility is existing in the fact that individual experience and the human experience have commonality and self can become to the channel rather than a disorder to the others. There is a kind of works, not only breaking the individual narcissistic, even breaking the human center creed, which is the "selflessness" sacred art near religious spirit.