Primary Narcissism

Primary narcissism corresponds to the original libidinal cathexis of the ego. Later, part of that cathexis will be redirected onto objects, giving rise to the opposition between ego-libido and object-libido. It is worth noting that Freud often spoke as often of "original narcissism" as of "primary narcissism"—the sense is the same. In the second part of "On Narcissism: An Introduction" (1914c), Freud offered an ex post facto explanation of the nature of narcissism based on the tender attitude of parents towards their children, an...