Different theoretical conceptualizations characterize grandiose narcissists by high, yet fragile self-esteem. Empirical evidence, however, has been inconsistent, particularly regarding the ...relationship between narcissism and self-esteem fragility (i.e., self-esteem variability). Here, we aim at unraveling this inconsistency by disentangling the effects of two theoretically distinct facets of narcissism (i.e., admiration and rivalry) on the two aspects of state self-esteem (i.e., level and variability). We report on data from a laboratory-based and two field-based studies (total N = 596) in realistic social contexts, capturing momentary, daily, and weekly fluctuations of state self-esteem. To estimate unbiased effects of narcissism on the level and variability of self-esteem within one model, we applied mixed-effects location scale models. Results of the three studies and their meta-analytical integration indicated that narcissism is positively linked to self-esteem level and variability. When distinguishing between admiration and rivalry, however, an important dissociation was identified: Admiration was related to high (and rather stable) levels of state self-esteem, whereas rivalry was related to (rather low and) fragile self-esteem. Analyses on underlying processes suggest that effects of rivalry on self-esteem variability are based on stronger decreases in self-esteem from one assessment to the next, particularly after a perceived lack of social inclusion. The revealed differentiated effects of admiration and rivalry explain why the analysis of narcissism as a unitary concept has led to the inconsistent past findings and provide deeper insights into the intrapersonal dynamics of grandiose narcissism governing state self-esteem.
We analyze the ego‐alter Twitter networks of 300 Italian MPs and 18 European leaders, and of about 14,000 generic users. We find structural properties typical of social environments, meaning that ...Twitter activity is controlled by constraints that are similar to those shaping conventional social relationships. However, the evolution of ego‐alter ties is very dynamic, which suggests that they are not entirely used for social interaction, but for public signaling and self‐promotion. From this standpoint, the behavior of EU leaders is much more evident, while Italian MPs are in between them and generic users. We find that politicians – more than generic users – create relationships as a side effect of tweeting on discussion topics, rather than by contacting specific alters.
The Strength Model of Self-Control Baumeister, Roy F.; Vohs, Kathleen D.; Tice, Dianne M.
Current directions in psychological science,
12/2007, Letnik:
16, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Self-control is a central function of the self and an important key to success in life. The exertion of self-control appears to depend on a limited resource. Just as a muscle gets tired from ...exertion, acts of self-control cause short-term impairments (ego depletion) in subsequent self-control, even on unrelated tasks. Research has supported the strength model in the domains of eating, drinking, spending, sexuality, intelligent thought, making choices, and interpersonal behavior. Motivational or framing factors can temporarily block the deleterious effects of being in a state of ego depletion. Blood glucose is an important component of the energy.
Two preregistered experiments with more than 1,000 participants in total found evidence of an ego depletion effect on attention control. Participants who exercised self-control on a writing task went ...on to make more errors on Stroop tasks (Experiment 1) and the Attention Network Test (Experiment 2) compared with participants who did not exercise self-control on the initial writing task. The depletion effect on response times was nonsignificant. A mini meta-analysis of the two experiments found a small (d = 0.20) but significant increase in error rates in the controlled writing condition, thereby providing evidence of poorer attention control under ego depletion. These results, which emerged from preregistered experiments in large samples of participants, represent some of the most rigorous evidence yet of the ego depletion effect.
In analyzing the psychological reactions to the recent COVID‐19 pandemic, we have tried to show that the existing societal protective skin that gives unity to people by creating a secure containment ...was too thin and fragile to cope with an annihilation situation such as the pandemic. This healthy and protective societal skin acts continuously as a maternal environment, providing physical and mental security. As a modest contribution, we provide psychoanalytic, social, cultural, and political analyses of the conspiracy theories and infodemics in the mid‐COVID‐19 era. We extend Anzieu's theory of skin‐ego from a maternal‐centered conceptualization to one based on a wider range of caregivers, including politicians, health care professionals, scientists, and researchers—who act as the suppliers of containment. During the pandemic, the common protective skin showed initial flexibility as it tried to regenerate a secure common skin with the help of the health care system and other state organizations responsible for managing the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, the common protective skin is under continuous attack by various politicians around the world, like the hyper‐masculine figure of Donald Trump who attacked this common skin, increasing the insecurity and helplessness of people. Like hermit crabs, thin‐skinned people with insecure skin‐egos sought refuge inside the shell of Trump's safer and thicker skin. A shell of conspiracy theories and infodemics provided by crustacean Trump functioned as a thick, protective skin. To illustrate our ideas, we present events and reactions from the pandemic and also cite two illustrative examples—the story of Noah's Ark and the children's classic, The Three Little Pigs.
During the past two decades, self-control research has been dominated by the strength model of self-control, which is built on the premise that the capacity for self-control is a limited global ...resource that can become temporarily depleted, resulting in a state called ego depletion. The foundations of ego depletion have recently been questioned. Thus, although self-control is among the most researched psychological concepts with high societal relevance, an inconsistent body of literature limits our understanding of how self-control operates. Here, we propose that the inconsistencies are partly due to a confound that has unknowingly and systematically been introduced into the ego-depletion research: boredom. We propose that boredom might affect results of self-control research by placing an unwanted demand on self-control and signaling that one should explore behavioral alternatives. To account for boredom in self-controlled behavior, we provide a working model that integrates evidence from reward-based models of self-control and recent theorizing on boredom to explain the effects of both self-control exertion and boredom on subsequent self-control performance. We propose that task-induced boredom should be systematically monitored in self-control research to assess the validity of the ego-depletion effect.
Objective
This study examined the predictive ability of the Rorschach‐based Ego Impairment Index (EII‐2) on outcome of psychotherapy in different types and durations of therapy.
Method
A total of 326 ...outpatients suffering from depressive or anxiety disorders were randomized into receiving solution‐focused (n = 97), short‐term psychodynamic (n = 101), or long‐term psychodynamic psychotherapy (n = 128). Psychotherapy outcome assessments during the 5‐year follow‐up period covered psychiatric symptoms, social functioning, and work ability.
Results
Lower EII‐2 values, which indicate less problematic ego functioning, were found to predict faster improvement in both short‐term therapies as compared to long‐term psychotherapy.
Conclusion
The results provide preliminary support for the utility of EII‐2 as a complementary measure to interview‐based methods for selecting between short‐ and long‐term therapies.
According to the resource model of self-control, overriding one's predominant response tendencies consumes and temporarily depletes a limited inner resource. Over 100 experiments have lent support to ...this model of ego depletion by observing that acts of self-control at Time I reduce performance on subsequent, seemingly unrelated self-control tasks at Time 2. The time is now ripe, therefore, not only to broaden the scope of the model but to start gaining a precise, mechanistic account of it. Accordingly, in the current article, the authors probe the particular cognitive, affective, and motivational mechanics of self-control and its depletion, asking, "What is ego depletion?" This study proposes a process model of depletion, suggesting that exerting self-control at Time 1 causes temporary shifts in both motivation and attention that undermine self-control at Time 2. The article highlights evidence in support of this model but also highlights where evidence is lacking, thus providing a blueprint for future research. Though the process model of depletion may sacrifice the elegance of the resource metaphor, it paints a more precise picture of ego depletion and suggests several nuanced predictions for future research.
Self, ego and suicide Dale, Oliver
Journal of analytical psychology,
June 2022, 2022-06-00, 20220601, Letnik:
67, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Working with patients who end their lives through suicide is one of the greatest challenges and fears a clinician might face. This paper explores the experience of working with such patients in the ...course of psychiatric care and Jungian analysis. Jungian theory is used to explore a conceptual understanding of the dilemmas faced. Such theory points to an intractable conflict between Self and ego giving rise to unbearable distress, partly through difficulties arising in achieving individuation. The paper proposes that our difficulties in dealing with a patient’s suicide might reflect a manifestation of relentless hope and, perhaps contentiously, these patients made a more considered decision in their final acts than prevailing clinical opinion suggests.
C’est l’un des plus grands défis et l’une des plus grandes peurs auxquels fait face un clinicien que de travailler avec des patients qui mettent fin à leur vie en se suicidant. Cet article explore l’expérience de travailler avec de tels patients durant le suivi psychiatrique et l’analyse Jungienne. La théorie Jungienne est utilisée pour explorer une compréhension conceptuelle des dilemmes rencontrés. Une telle théorie souligne le conflit inextricable entre le Soi et le moi, qui produit une détresse insoutenable, en partie du fait des difficultés qui se présentent pour accomplir l’individuation. L’article propose que nos difficultés à nous débrouiller du suicide d’un patient puissent refléter la manifestation d’un espoir implacable, alors que ces patients sont peut‐être parvenus en conscience à une décision plus réfléchie sur leurs actions finales que l’opinion clinique prédominante ne le suggère.
Die Arbeit mit Patienten, die ihr Leben durch Suizid beenden, ist eine der größten Herausforderungen und Ängste, denen sich ein Kliniker stellen kann. Dieser Artikel untersucht die Erfahrung der Arbeit mit solchen Patienten im Rahmen der psychiatrischen Versorgung und der Jungianischen Analyse. Die Jungianische Theorie wird verwendet, um ein konzeptionelles Verständnis der Dilemmata zu erforschen, mit denen man konfrontiert ist. Eine solche Theorie weist auf einen hartnäckigen Konflikt zwischen dem Selbst und dem Ego hin, der zu unerträglichem Leid führt, teilweise durch Schwierigkeiten, die beim Erreichen der Individuation auftreten. Der Beitrag regt an, in unseren Schwierigkeiten im Umgang mit dem Selbstmord eines Patienten eine Manifestation unerbittlicher Hoffnung widergespiegelt zu sehen, und, vielleicht umstritten, daß diese Patienten in ihren letzten Handlungen eine überlegtere Entscheidung getroffen haben, als die vorherrschende klinische Meinung vermuten läßt.
Lavorare con pazienti che terminano la loro vita con il suicidio è una delle sfide e delle paure più grandi che un clinico possa affrontare. Questo articolo considera l’esperienza di lavoro con tali pazienti nel corso della cura psichiatrica e dell’analisi junghiana. La teoria junghiana viene utilizzata per esplorare una comprensione concettuale dei dilemmi affrontati. Questa teoria indica un conflitto intrattabile tra il Sé e l’Io che dà origine a un’angoscia insopportabile, in parte a causa delle difficoltà che sorgono nel raggiungimento dell’individuazione. Questo articolo propone che le nostre difficoltà nell’affrontare il suicidio di un paziente potrebbero riflettere una speranza implacabile e, forse polemicamente, questi pazienti hanno in realtà preso una decisione più ponderata nelle loro decisioni finali di quanto suggerisca l’opinione clinica prevalente.
Работа с пациентами, которые заканчивают жизнь самоубийством, относится к самым большим сложностям и страхам, с которыми может столкнуться клиницист. В данной статье исследуется опыт работы с подобными пациентами в парадигме психиатрической помощи и юнгианского анализа. Для концептуального объяснения возникающих дилемм используется юнгианская теория. Согласно этой теории, имеется неразрешимый конфликт между Самостью и эго, вследствие чего возникают невыносимые страдания, отчасти связанные с трудностями следования индивидуации. В статье предполагается, что наши сложности в связи с суицидом пациента могут быть выражением неустанной надежды – возможно, спорной – что решение этих пациентов относительно своих последних действиях является более взвешенным, чем полагает доминирующее клиническое мнение.
Trabajar con pacientes que terminan con su vida a través del suicidio es uno de los miedos y de los más grandes desafíos que un analista pueda confrontar. El presente trabajo explora la experiencia de trabajar con estos pacientes en la atención psiquiátrica y el análisis Junguiano. La teoría Junguiana es utilizada para explorar una comprensión teórica de los dilemas confrontados. Dicha teoría señala un conflicto irresoluble entre Self y ego que da lugar a un malestar intolerable, en parte a través de las dificultades que emergen en alcanzar la individuación. El trabajo propone que nuestras dificultades en tratar con el suicidio de un paciente podrían reflejar la manifestación de una esperanza inquebrantable, y quizás, controversialmente, estos pacientes realizan una decisión más considerada en sus actos finales que lo que sugiere la opinión clínica predominante.
自性、自我和自杀
与自杀病人工作是临床医生可能面临的最大挑战和恐惧之一。本文探讨了在精神科治疗和荣格分析过程中, 与这类病人工作的经验。荣格理论被用来探索如何对眼前的困境进行概念化的理解。这种理论指出, 在自性和自我之间发生了难以解决的冲突, 这引起了难以忍受的压力, 这困难产生的部分原因是来自于实现自性化的过程中出现的困难。本文提出, 我们在处理病人自杀时所遇到的困难, 可能反映出一种无情的希望, 而且, 也许是有争议的, 这些病人在他们采取最后的行为时, 是进行了深思熟虑的, 而这考虑要比普遍的临床意见考虑得更深。
Rationale
Ayahuasca is a psychotropic plant tea from South America used for religious purposes by indigenous people of the Amazon
.
Increasing evidence indicates that ayahuasca may have therapeutic ...potential in the treatment of mental health disorders and can enhance mindfulness-related capacities. Most research so far has focused on acute and sub-acute effects of ayahuasca on mental health-related parameters and less on long-term effects.
Objectives
The present study aimed to assess sub-acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca on well-being and cognitive thinking style. The second objective was to assess whether sub-acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca depend on the degree of ego dissolution that was experienced after consumption of ayahuasca.
Results
Ayahuasca ceremony attendants (
N
= 57) in the Netherlands and Colombia were assessed before, the day after, and 4 weeks following the ritual. Relative to baseline, ratings of depression and stress significantly decreased after the ayahuasca ceremony and these changes persisted for 4 weeks. Likewise, convergent thinking improved post-ayahuasca ceremony up until the 4 weeks follow-up. Satisfaction with life and several aspects of mindfulness increased the day after the ceremony, but these changes failed to reach significance 4 weeks after. Changes in affect, satisfaction with life, and mindfulness were significantly correlated to the level of ego dissolution experienced during the ayahuasca ceremony and were unrelated to previous experience with ayahuasca.
Conclusion
It is concluded that ayahuasca produces sub-acute and long-term improvements in affect and cognitive thinking style in non-pathological users. These data highlight the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca in the treatment of mental health disorders, such as depression.
PDF
