Narcissism: A short animation video

On Narcissism (German: Zur Einführung des Narzißmus) is a 1914 essay by Sigmund Freud, widely considered an introduction to Freud's theories of narcissism.

Download "On Narcissism: An Introduction" here.

In this paper, Freud sums up his earlier discussions on the subject of narcissism and considers its place in sexual development. Furthermore, he looks at the deeper problems of the relation between the ego and external objects, drawing a new distinction between the 'ego-libido' and 'object-libido'. Most importantly he introduces the idea of the 'ego ideal', and the self- observing agency related to it. Freud also looks briefly at his controversies with Carl Jung and Alfred Adler, indeed one of his motives for writing this was probably to show that the concept of narcissism offers an alternative to Jung's non-sexual 'libido' and Adler's 'masculine protest'.

Narcssism

"Classical theory distinguishes between primary narcissism, the love of self which precedes loving others, and secondary narcissism, love of self which results from introjecting and identifying with an object. The latter is either a defensive activity or attitude, since it enables the subject to deny that he has lost the introjected object, or part of the developmental process. A major difficulty of the concept is that, on the one hand, the word 'narcissism' has inescapable disparaging overtones, while, on the other hand, it is used as a technical term to categorize all forms of investment of energy (libido) in the self. Hence the not infrequent references to 'healthy narcissism' to distinguish proper selfrespect from 'over-valuation of the ego'."

― Excerpted from A Critical Dictionary of Psychoanalysis

See also

• Transference: A short animation video

• On Being a Patient: A short animation about the experience of psychoanalysis

• Winnicot, Klein, Bowlby, Anna & Sigmund Freud: 5 Psychoanalytic Theorists Introduced in Animated “School of Life” Videos

• 'What is Psychoanalysis?' is a 4-part educational film series by Freud Museum London​ for students and teachers.

Echo and Narcissus, the myth of the mountain nymph

A photo posted by Freud Quotes (@freud.quotes) on Oct 19, 2015 at 9:21am PDT

7 TED talks on the struggle of mental health

Depression, schizophrenia, suicidal feelings—too often, these experiences stay private. These speakers who’ve struggled with mental illness boldly share their stories, in hopes that others don’t feel so alone.

Andrew Solomon: Depression, the secret we share

"The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality, and it was vitality that seemed to seep away from me in that moment." In a talk equal parts eloquent and devastating, writer Andrew Solomon takes you to the darkest corners of his mind during the years he battled depression. That led him to an eye-opening journey across the world to interview others with depression — only to discover that, to his surprise, the more he talked, the more people wanted to tell their own stories. (Filmed at TEDxMet.)

Kevin Breel: Confessions of a depressed comic

Kevin Breel didn't look like a depressed kid: team captain, at every party, funny and confident. But he tells the story of the night he realized that — to save his own life — he needed to say four simple words.

Sherwin Nuland: How electroshock therapy changed me

Surgeon and author Sherwin Nuland discusses the development of electroshock therapy as a cure for severe, life-threatening depression — including his own. It’s a moving and heartfelt talk about relief, redemption and second chances.

Eleanor Longden: The voices in my head

To all appearances, Eleanor Longden was just like every other student, heading to college full of promise and without a care in the world. That was until the voices in her head started talking. Initially innocuous, these internal narrators became increasingly antagonistic and dictatorial, turning her life into a living nightmare. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, hospitalized, drugged, Longden was discarded by a system that didn't know how to help her. Longden tells the moving tale of her years-long journey back to mental health, and makes the case that it was through learning to listen to her voices that she was able to survive.

Elyn Saks A tale of mental illness -- from the inside

"Is it okay if I totally trash your office?" It's a question Elyn Saks once asked her doctor, and it wasn't a joke. A legal scholar, in 2007 Saks came forward with her own story of schizophrenia, controlled by drugs and therapy but ever-present. In this powerful talk, she asks us to see people with mental illness clearly, honestly and compassionately.

JD Schramm: Break the silence for suicide attempt survivors

Even when our lives appear fine from the outside, locked within can be a world of quiet suffering, leading some to the decision to end their life. At TEDYou, JD Schramm asks us to break the silence surrounding suicide and suicide attempts, and to create much-needed resources to help people who reclaim their life after escaping death. Resources: http://t.co/wsNrY9C

Kevin Briggs: The bridge between suicide and life

For many years Sergeant Kevin Briggs had a dark, unusual, at times strangely rewarding job: He patrolled the southern end of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, a popular site for suicide attempts. In a sobering, deeply personal talk Briggs shares stories from those he’s spoken — and listened — to standing on the edge of life. He gives a powerful piece of advice to those with loved ones who might be contemplating suicide.

Resources for suicide prevention, post-attempt survivors and their families: http://t.co/wsNrY9C

Playlist: The struggle of mental health