A Review and Considerations of Studies on Narcissistic Vulnerability on Adolescence

This study surveys research on adolescent narcissism from the standpoint of narcissistic vulnerability. It also considers issues and direction of research to be tackled from this point onward. Recent research on narcissism that seeks to understand two forms of narcissistic tendencies, grandiose form and hypervigilant form, has flourished. In Japan, however, because of its cultural background, there have been many more case studies of hypervigilant narcissistic tendency in clinical settings. Even for non-clinical cases, hypervigilant narcissistic tendency is associated with maladjustment. Therefore, understanding adolescence from the standpoint of narcissistic vulnerability, including the different aspects of hypervigilant narcissistic tendency, has great significance for clinical psychology. According to Kohut's theories, which serve as the basis for understanding narcissistic vulnerability, self-object is required from early life until the end of life. However, experimental research that studied narcissistic vulnerability from a developmental perspective has been scant, and consistent results have not been obtained. For these reasons, it is desirable for research on narcissistic vulnerability to advance experimental research that incorporates a developmental perspective