Narcissistic phenomena have long been of considerable scientific and social interest. Some
authors regard narcissism as a fad while others see it as an increasingly frequent type of
comorbidity or as a fundamental phenomenon representing a social megatrend. This volume traces
narcissism from its normal forms of expression to severe narcissistic disorders. The book
focuses on the remarkable changes that the concept of narcissism has undergone and continues to
undergo. On the one hand these changes involve the alterations that have been seen in the
clinical diagnosis and classification of the condition from the first theoretical descriptions
of it up to the current empirical research findings. On the other hand they also involve
narcissistic phenomena in society as well as changes in interventions and therapies. It is
striking that narcissism is predominantly regarded as a phenomenon frequently affecting men
between the ages of 20 and 50. By contrast the present volume expands the perspective to
include little-discussed aspects such as individual development over a person=s lifetime as
well as gender and transcultural aspects and examines both positive and negative sides of
narcissism. This fundamental and practice-oriented work thus depicts the broad range of
narcissistic phenomena and disorders in a more nuanced and also more comprehensive manner.
