Narcissistic vulnerability in manic psychosis and how it parallels with the 'ritual process'

Abstract

Anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep has studied the transformative potential of rights of passage. He identified a basic symbolic structure common in all forms of rituals. Self-psychology attempts to explain manic psychosis in terms of narcissistic vulnerability and shame. This paper reflects on the underlying similarities and contrasts between the ritual process and hypomanic episodes and draws out its implications for psychotherapy.