Does Primary Narcissism Exist in Newborn Babies? Evidence from Sleep Science

摘要

The term narcissism, influenced by the Greek myth of Narcissus, refers to self-love. According to Freud (1914, p. 73–74), newborn babies are characterized by primary narcissism, that he defines as the “libidinal complement to the egoism of the instinct of self-preservation.” In other words, primary narcissism, which would predominate until the development of the Ego, corresponds to an innate instinctual behavior which is mainly driven by the desire and energy of the newborn to survive, and by a capability of satisfying these instincts on itself (“auto-erotism”). This early period of human's life has been described as “objectless” (Tausk, 1919), because the external objects with their potential unpleasant effects are excluded from baby's perceptions and interest (Ferenczi, 1909). Instead, it is the newborn's own body and own organs that are considered as love-objects (Freud, 1911, p. 60). Later on, a part of this libidinal mental and emotional energy investment would be redirected onto external objects, creating an opposition between Ego-libido and Object-libido. To date, no empirical or other scientific evidence has confirmed the existence of primary narcissism. Here, I will try to show how recent findings in sleep science offer similarities between newborn's sleep state and primary narcissism.