Abstract
Historically, patients suffering from pathological narcissism, including
narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), were considered challenging and
hard to treat. Since the second half of the 20th century new treatments
have been developing heralding a growing hope that transformative
treatment of patients with pathological narcissism is possible. Recent
developments of phenomenology, childhood antecedents, longitudinal
course, and putative mechanisms inspired a greater hope as well. This
invites clinicians and researchers to take an approach that is
evidence-based, destigmatizing, and collaborative that considers that at
least some of the treatment challenges as co-created by both the
therapist and the patient. Further, new treatments add hope by
ameliorating such challenges of patients with pathological narcissism as
fragile alliance, limitations of reflectiveness and grieving. Novel
treatments are evidence- and principles-based and different approaches
to effective treatment development are described. Inspired by these
developments in the field, this Issue of the Journal of Clinical
Psychology: In Session was conceived as an opportunity for clinicians
from different treatment approaches to come together and share their
experiences in treating patients with pathological narcissism. The hope
is to find common language to understand these patients and their
treatment, understand what contributes to change, as well as learn from
commonalities and differences among these treatments. In doing so, this
Issue is hoping to promote destigmatizing, pragmatic approach that
prioritizes evidence-based efforts to understand the patient and
collaborative approach to promoting change.