James F. Masterson, Narcissism Expert

Just spotted this obituary that I missed in April: James F. Masterson, Narcissism Expert, Dies at 84 - NYTimes.com. Masterson was a prime mover away from the belief that personality disorders were untreatable. The article has a nice description of personality disorders and presents one persuasive theory for their development, rooted in very early attachment problems that create a “false self” for the individual, most apparent in the narcissistic and borderline types. The Psychiatric Dilemma of Adolescence and The Search for the Real Self: Unmasking the Personality Disorders of Our Age are on Google Books. The paragraphs that best sum up the article are at the end:

Dr. Masterson became so well known as an expert on narcissism that he sometimes attracted patients for whom only a high-profile therapist would do — in other words, narcissists. In the 1980s, after The New York Times cited him as an authority on the disorder, he received a dozen calls from people wanting treatment.

Too busy to accept new patients, Dr. Masterson referred the callers to his associates. As The Times reported in 1988, not a single one made an appointment.