Dynamics of self-concept in the process of psychotherapy of narcissistic personalities as the focus of empirical research: Theoretical justification and methodological guidelines

Background. Narcissistic personality disorders represent a complex pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy, masking a fragile and vulnerable self. Therapy of patients with narcissistic personality traits is associated with technical difficulties and specific factors of process and outcome. One of the key focuses in the psychotherapy of narcissism is working through the defects of self-concept. However, there is a clear lack of systematic studies on the dynamics of the narcissistic self in the process of therapy. Conceptualization of regular transformations of self-concept in individuals with narcissistic personality traits under the influence of psychotherapy will allow differentiating targets and strategies of therapeutic work, predicting crises and evaluating intermediate results. Purpose – to develop theoretical and methodological foundations for an empirical study of the dynamics of self-concept in the process of psychotherapy of persons with narcissistic personality disorders. Materials and methods. Theoretical and methodological analysis of the concepts of narcissism, models of self-concept, ideas about the dynamics of self in therapy. Systematization, generalization and operationalization of theoretical constructs for building the methodology of empirical research. Results. The specificity of the self-concept of persons with narcissistic personality traits, its polar structure, and conflicting dynamics of self-modalities are theoretically substantiated and described. The main directions and mechanisms of changing the narcissistic self in the process of therapy are considered: destruction of grandiosity, acceptance of the vulnerable self, achievement of self-cohesion. A plan for an empirical study of the dynamics of self-concept of narcissistic patients in the process of undergoing psychoanalytic therapy is presented, including a description of the design, stages, methods and hypothetical results of the work. EDN: NBMAPR