It’s all the rage! Rage seems in vogue these days. The current explosion of narcissistic rage in the culture seems like an organic evolution of the “me generation.” Every new movie, song, or speech seems to set someone off – and don’t even mention the road rage phenomenon.
Is narcissism at the root of it all?
A narcissistic injury occurs when someone defeats or criticizes the narcissistic individual. The narcissist may not show it outwardly, but he is haunted by criticisms and defeats. When a narcissistic injury occurs, the narcissist begins to feel empty, degraded, and humiliated and he is capable of retaliating with narcissistic rage. His reactions constitute disdain or defiant attacks.
What we witnessed last night at midnight –if you bothered to stay up you heard it; if not, you heard it this morning on the news–was an outbreak of narcissistic rage from John Kerry who simply cannot believe that anyone could possibly question anything the candidate has said or done in the past. See Here and Here for details.
The thing about narcissistic rage is that it is so volatile, so illogical, so primoridal – that wound cuts deep into the soul.
Narcissistic rage can include phenomena as different as slight annoyance, paranoiac rancor, and catatonic fury. Linked to loss of control, it signals the existence of some unresolved psychic injury of an archaic, narcissistic character. Such rage aims to repair an injustice, a narcissistic wound unrelieved so long as shame persists and the witness to it is not destroyed. Thus, the need for revenge in the face of ridicule, disdain or…
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Object constancy is “the capacity to recognize and tolerate loving and hostile feelings toward the same object; the capacity to keep feelings centered on a specific object; and the capacity to value an object for attributes other than its function of satisfying needs. – 
