Conceptual Foundation of the Term "Narcissism" in the Narcissistic Spectrum of Positions

The objection that the term "narcissism" is problematic within the framework of a narcissistic spectrum of positions, on the grounds that it is assumed to refer exclusively to narcissistic personality disorder, rests on a conceptual confusion: it conflates a diagnostic label with a fundamental psychic function. From my clinical experience, it emerges that in every human being one can discern, in different degrees and forms, a narcissistic problematic, precisely because narcissism functions as a universal mechanism for the regulation of self-worth, psychic cohesion, and relationship.