Narcissist and Attention: It’s Complicated

Introduction and Context

• The speaker introduces the topic of the psychological economy of attention, focusing on narcissists but also applicable more broadly. Attention is described as a complex psychological construct. The speaker is Samakin, a professor of psychology and author.
  [00:00]

Types of Attention

• Three types of attention are defined:
  • Synoptic Attention: Connecting events or facts to create a logical explanatory narrative (“connecting the dots”), requiring full grasp of surroundings.
    [01:00]
  • Targeted Attention: Maintaining laser focus on a few data points to the exclusion of all else, also described as hyperfocus. Typical in some mental health conditions.
    [02:30]
  • Inclusive Attention: Paying equal attention to multiple stimuli without committing to a single filter, open-minded and hypothesis-generating.
    [03:15]

Narcissist’s Default Attention Type

• Narcissists are addicted to narcissistic supply, which is defined as any form of attention (positive or negative).
• Narcissists exhibit predominantly targeted/hyperfocused attention, focusing exclusively on an individual or group to secure narcissistic supply. This intense focus can feel flattering and intoxicating.
• Synoptic and inclusive attention types are seen as suboptimal by narcissists because they do not reliably elicit the desired attention from others.
  [04:00]

Narcissist’s Attention Patterns and Limitations

• Narcissists often ignore important cues and information irrelevant to narcissistic supply, even if critical to personal safety or well-being. This includes social, sexual, and nonverbal cues that do not promise narcissistic gain.
• Their perception is described as “impressionistic and linear,” lacking a consistent, synthetic, or storytelling quality.
• Narcissists have a narrow slice of focus, likened to a laser beam, and are often oblivious to surrounding information that doesn’t serve their attentional needs.
  [06:30]

Cognitive and Emotional Constraints

• Narcissists lack curiosity about others’ lives, memories, emotions, or nature unless these relate to narcissistic supply.
• They frequently dissociate or appear bored when presented with unrelated information, demonstrating a synoptic failure.
• Their attentional style includes cognitive distortions and impaired reality testing used to maintain grandiosity.
• They avoid uncertain outcomes or any information that might undermine their inflated self-image.
  [08:30]

Consequences of Narcissist’s Attentional Style

• The constriction of attention restricts not only what narcissists notice but also their responses to their environment and relationships.
• Narcissists are described as a “one-trick pony,” binary in their emotional responses, and generally naive to the consequences of their actions due to failure to connect dots between cause and effect.
• The narcissist’s tunnel vision serves as protection from cognitive dissonance or challenges to their grandiose self-concept.
  [11:00]

Summary Statement

• Overall, narcissists prioritize targeted attention to secure narcissistic supply, at the cost of more comprehensive, inclusive, or synthetic understanding of reality. Everything outside this focus is incidental or ignored.
  [12:30]