THE FUSE

Narcissism can be thought of as either healthy or pathological. In healthy or "normal" narcissism, writes Jungian analyst Mario Jacoby (1991), we have "realistic ambitions and an adequate sense of self-esteem. . . . We are all in continual need for recognition, of having our existence and our worth acknowledged by others." But in neurotic or pathological narcissism, these needs and qualities are amplified and distorted as the tragic consequence of having not been met by others in the past.