A study on Narcissism: a comparison between overt and covert typologies through the T.A.T. Authors: Doriana Dipaola, Valentina Triscio, Elisa Francesca Bosco, Marta Ferraris, Gabriella Gandino
Abstract
The aim of this work lies in the purpose of deepen the Narcissistic personality disorder by focusing on the differentiation, within the disorder itself, between the overt and covert typologies, thus providing a further empirical evidence of their actual existence. We aspire to demonstrate that the Thematic Apperception Test (T.A.T.) is proving to be an effective instrument to detect the thought processes arising from the Narcissistic personality disorder and it turns extremely useful to differentiate the two typologies mentioned above.
Method
The research is developed through the analysis of 10 protocols of the T.A.T. belonging to patients who were diagnosed the Narcissistic personality disorder. The tests were administered and interpreted upon the French School model, especially concerning the analytical value sheet proposed by Vica Shentoub. This approach, through the investigation of the main psychical processes and the defence mechanisms, provides specific details about the way the subject approaches the reality and gets into his inner world.
Results
The collected data show, within the analysed samples, a dominant prevalence of the Narcissistic personality disorder (processes series C/N). These last, in the overt subjects, have been associated with lability features (B series processes) and with anti-depressive fight (C/M series processes), while in the covert subjects they have been associated with features which appear rigid, controlling (A processes) and inhibitor (series C/I). Thus, the research has confirmed the primary hypothesis stating that the T.A.T. constitutes a precise diagnostical instrument, able to detect the features of both the narcissism typologies as evidenced in the literature.
Key word: Narcissistic personality disorder, overt and covert narcissisms, Thematic Apperception Test (T.A.T.).
