(1996). International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 77:843-845 Review by: Athol Hughes In his Foreword to this book, Salomon Resnik draws our attention to the myth of Narcissus. His mother, the beautiful nymph Leiriope, consults the seer Teiresias, who predicts that if the boy was ever to know himself he would die. To stay alive, Narcissus has to struggle against his desire to see and to know himself (p. ix). Those who struggle, as do the contributors to this book, to understand and help the present day Narcissi see and know themselves, are fully aware just how close to death these individuals feel they would be if they saw and knew themselves. A variation on the myth of Narcissus is that Aphrodite punished him for his rejection of the love of Echo, by making him fall in love with his own image reflected in water. His fruitless attempts to approach his own image led to despair and he wasted away until he died. The contributors to the book also address the problems related to narcissistic patients' rejection of love and what it stands for, and their often hidden des [This is a summary or excerpt from the full text of the book or article. The full text of the document is available to subscribers.] |
