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Charisma and Self-Destruction: A Developmental View

Abstract. Drawing on the work of Sullivan and Kohut's theory of narcissism, the author speculates about the developmental precursors to charisma. The author argues that the parent's dependency on the child and the function that child holds for the parent's emotional life grants the child a certain kind of power in knowing how to attend to the other's narcissistic needs. The author examines the influence and interpersonal manifestations of charisma in the analytic situation—its impact on the analyst and the collusions that arise as a result of the subtle yet persuasive influence on the analyst's attachment to the patient as well as to the grandiose image that charisma instills in the analyst. The author puts forth the idea that guilt and self-destructiveness are embedded in charisma, part of the patient's attachment system and the interpersonal field. A detailed case is presented to illustrate these points, and to distinguish charisma from other types of narcissism.