This paper is an exploration of the way in which narcissistic fantasies contribute to the development of a capacity for reality testing by moderating anxiety aroused by development that could otherwise become traumatic. Images of the success and failure of this psychic process are to be found in Raphael’s painting “The School of Athens.” The facilitation of an improved capacity for realism by narcissistic fantasies is a paradoxical idea because, in and of themselves, narcissistic fantasies substitute for reality. The family romance fantasy is examined to explore whether or not the contradiction is only apparent even though the fantasy is in itself delusional. The basic purpose of the paper is to explore the contribution of narcissistic fantasies and narcissistic needs which are not themselves reality bound but which psychically facilitate the development of forms of experience and thought that are reality bound. These themes are explored in the history of ideas, in individual development, and in clinical psychoanalysis.

本文探讨了自恋幻想如何通过缓和可能成为创伤的发展引起的焦虑来促进现实测试能力的发展。在拉斐尔的画作“雅典学院”中可以找到这种心理过程的成功和失败的图像。自恋幻想促进现实主义能力的提高是一个自相矛盾的想法，因为自恋幻想本身就取代了现实。检查家庭浪漫幻想以探索矛盾是否只是明显的，即使幻想本身是妄想。本文的基本目的是探讨自恋幻想和自恋需求的贡献，这些幻想和自恋需求本身不受现实约束，但在心理上促进了受现实约束的经验和思想形式的发展。这些主题在思想史、个人发展和临床精神分析中得到了探索。