On the relevance of destructive narcissism today

摘要

The relevance of Herbert Rosenfeld's concept of destructive narcissism is explored using the example of the Munich mass shooting in July 2016. In doing so, it is inevitable to emphasize the effect of life- and death-drives in the individual because destructive narcissism itself invites to disavow individual responsibility. A comparison between David S. (Munich) and Anders Breivik (Utoya) shows how Rosenfeld's considerations can help to distinguish between different forms of destructive narcissism. The article closes with reflections on some ethical aspects of the psychoanalytic discourse on violence.