Something old and something new: love, creativity, and the enduring relationship.

In the initial phase of a romantic relationship, excitement often reflects the reawakening of early narcissistic fantasy. For most couples, when the passionate intensity that is derived from primitive narcissism fades, the expansiveness of a developing sense of self that is a by-product of the creative process can, in turn, revitalize the partnership. Arieti's work on creativity is applied to understanding how some passionate intensity can be retained over the lifetime of a marriage.