Later, in his essay "On Narcissism," Freud described it as a kind of withdrawal: sufferers withdraw their interest and libido from the outside world and turn them inwards towards themselves.
而在後續討論人類「自戀」的著作裡，他進一步把此病描述成一種「內縮」的事件：患者「抽回」他對外在事物的興趣與精神能量，並轉而將它們灌注於自己的身體。