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UNLABELLED: Implicitly and Explicitly Represented Narcissism in Patients with Somatoform Pain Disorder - A Case-Control Study

Objectives

A psychodynamic understanding of chronic primary pain refers to narcissistic mechanisms: pain serves the function of regulating the self. However, empirical evidence supporting this assumption is scarce. Thus, it was investigated whether patients with somatoform pain disorder differ from a clinical control in implicitly and explicitly represented narcissism.

METHODS

Patients with somatoform pain disorder (N = 51) and a control group with depressive disorders were examined using the Narcissism Inventory. An implicit association test was administered to measure implicitly represented narcissism.

RESULTS

Controlling for socio-demographic differences, patients with chronic pain reported lower scores on the 'self-grandiosity' and 'greedy for praise and reassurance' scales, and higher scores on the 'idealizing values' and 'narcissistic gain from illness' scales. No differences emerged in implicitly represented narcissism.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings support psychodynamic considerations that attribute a stabilizing function to somatoform pain in relation to self-esteem within the context of narcissistic vulnerability. By contrast, narcissistic grandiosity does not appear to play a prominent role.