In Greek mythology, “Narcissism" has its roots from the legend of Narcissus, a young man whom most deemed extremely handsome. A nymph named Echo developed an obsessive infatuation with Narcissus but he was unwilling to reciprocate such feelings to her or others. She finally gave up and isolated herself. Narcissus was then cursed to become socially isolated and reviled due to his complete self absorption by loving his own shadow from the pool (Wall & Loewenthal, 1998).
Havelock Ellis (1898) first developed the concept of narcissism as a psychological construct referring to excessive masturbation by the people become their own sexual objects. Then this concept was adopted by Sigmund Freud (1914/1957) and other prominent psychoanalysts. Interestingly, the term “Narcissistic Personality Disorder” was first introduced by Heinz Kohut (1968), the founder of self psychology, and “Narcissistic Personality” by Otto Kernberg (1970) who is the major contributor of modern object relations theory. The DSM did not adopt the diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder until in the third revised edition published in 1980 (Siomopoulos, 1988). Thus, throughout the last century, the general term “narcissism” has been usually seen in the literature rather than Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
From a recent study by Pincus et al. (2009), narcissism has been conceptualized as “one’s capacity to maintain a relatively positive self-image through a variety of self-, affect- and field-regulatory processes. It underlies individuals’ needs for validation and affirmation as well as the motivation to overtly and covertly seek out self-enhancement experiences from the social environment” (p.365).
Normal and pathological narcissism. Researchers usually use the terms normal and pathological features of narcissism to describe adaptive and maladptive personality structure respectively, representing different psychological needs for self enhancement, validation, and regulatory mechanisms (e.g., Kernberg 1998, Kohut 1977, Morf 2006, Pincus 2005, Ronningstam 2009, Stone 1998). Some believe that normal and pathological narcissism are situated on a single continuum or dimension from healthy to disordered functioning (e.g., Cooper, 2005; Miller, Hoffman, Campbell & Pilkonis, 2008; Paulhus, 1998; Ronningstam, 2005b & Watson, 2005), while others contended that adaptive and pathological narcissism may be two distinct personality dimensions (e.g., Ansell 2006, Dickinson & Pincus, 2003; Pincus et al., 2009; Rathvon & Holmstrom, 1996; Wink, 1991). It could be found that the studies of social and personality psychology have more interest in the normal narcissism (e.g. Miller & Campbell, 2008 ), whereas those researchers in clinical psychology focused more on the studies of pathological narcissism (e.
Narcissism is a psychological disorder of high profile individuals. “Is it true or myth?” is always controversial in masses. Many high profile individuals are classified as a narcissistic in media from time to time. The movie “The Wolf Of Wall Street” demonstrate how a rapid success leads to the narcissistic behavior and downfall of a wall street giant due to his narcissistic behavior. Generally, true life movies demonstrate the rise and heroism of an individual where as director Martin Scorsese in his movie “The Wolf of Wall Street” tells the story of a New York stockbroker, Jordan Belfort, development of narcissism and downfall of his giant business empire due to narcissism. Although many critique argue that “The Wolf of Wall Street” glorify the greed and objectification of women leaves public with no morality message, the film successfully deliver the message that the rapid success cause an individual to develop the narcissistic behavior which eventually leads into destruction.
These traits -choosing significant relationships where love can never be satisfactorily consumated, and the tendency to mirror significant others- were motivating features for choosing the term Echo Personality Disorder. In Greek mythology Echo was the lover of Narcissus. In this myth Echo, a forest nymph, falls in love with the egocentric youth Narcissus, and when he shows clear signs of rejecting her she persists in her attatchement, and will not be moved from her aim. She finally satisfies herself with the masochistic task of echoing back to him all that he says. This too is a central feature of EPD behaviour in relationships, where the individual will mirror, echo, and compliment another at the expense of their own self-worth and dignity. This echoing behaviour, though, does not exhaust the mythological potential of Echo, even if commentators on the myth narrow their descriptions to this single episode with Narcissus. Echo also has relations with Zeus, Hera, Pan, and Gaia, which have a different coloration to those she has with Narcissus, and has many friends in the form of other forest nymphs -"sisters" as we would call them today; attesting to the complexity we find within the Echo personality constellation.
In trying to answer these questions, I am reminded of an aphorism my brother once shared with me that I've never forgotten: "There are two types of narcissism," he told me, "That of assuming one's experiences to be unique, and that of assuming one's experiences to be universal."
"Narcissistic Personality Disorder: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Web. 02 June 2010.
Healthy narcissism is a mature, balanced love of oneself coupled with a stable sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Healthy narcissism implies knowledge of one's boundaries and a proportionate and realistic appraisal of one's achievements and traits.10 This implies that a leader, like Stephen Harper for example may be is more likely a narcissist rather than psychopath. He knows his limits, and does not try and overachieve something that is not within reach, keeping a realistic view of the world but still seeing himself on top. Psychopaths rarely seek Narcissistic Supply. Pathological narcissism is wrongly described as too much healthy narcissism (or too much self-esteem).11 Yet, we often find that narcissists abandon their efforts in mid-stream,
According to the Mayo Clinic, narcissistic personality disorder “is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others.” Generally people that suffer from narcissistic personality disorder
The case that we will be looking at throughout this paper is that of ‘Joe’ (name changed to so that he/she may remain anonymous. Joe has what is diagnosed by clinicians as narcissistic personality disorder. According to the DSM – IV –TR, this is characterized by ‘a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration and lack of empathy, beginning by early adult and present in a variety of contexts.’ The DSM lists nine criteria and Joe must exhibit 5 or more of them to be diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder. The first one is Joe has a grandiose sense of self-importance. He is always assuring himself that his needs come before anyone else’s and that he should be recognized for all of his achievements, large or small, in his life. The second characteristic that Joe displays is being preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, and beauty. He believes that he is the most attractive male of all of his peers and strives to attract as many women as he can and to have a sexual relationship with all of them. He sees no flaws in himself and cannot begin to understand why every woman is not attracted to him. The third characteristic that Joe displays of narcissistic personality disorder is that he lives with a sense of entitlement. He believes that everyone should think the way that he does and the he has the answer to ever problem. The fourth characteristic seen in Joe is that he lacks empathy, showing now sense of understanding towards other’s sorrow. Lastly, Joe is
Firstly, what is exactly narcissism? The word ‘narcissism’ was derived from an ancient Greek myth of Narcissus. Narcissus was depicted as a handsome young man who adored his looks very much. Many young maidens fell in love with him but he criticizes them for being too ugly for him. One day, he fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. However, he accidentally drowned himself as he tried to touch his reflection. Hence, the word ‘narcissism’ is usually depicted as a personality that reflects excessive of self-love on oneself. Individuals who are narcissistic are usually described as somebody who is selfish, snobbish or proud. This is because narcissistic individual processes information obtained differently than others. They believe that they deserve more than others since they think they are more superior in every aspect. Due to their sense of grandiosity, they will do anything in order t...
Today, our culture demands us to be perfect, thin, powerful, successful, smart, extraordinary, but when people begin to try achieving them, we start labeling them as narcissists. The problem is that it is impossible for anyone to please everyone. Brown defines narcissism as simply a “fear of never feeling extraordinary enough to be noticed, to be lovable, to belong, or to cultivate a sense of purpose” (22). Before giving out labels, it is wise to practice asking ourselves questions to clear the intentions and reasons of someone’s behavior. For example, teenagers posting pictures of themselves online to gain some attention reveals that the culture has taught them that they are as lovable as the number of likes and comments they get on social media. Negative feedback roots into negative thinking about vulnerability and causes them to shut themselves down and never show their real selves again. Encouraging others to believe that they are perfect as themselves, will plant a positive attitude in them and push them to pursue their goals and visions to fulfill their dream of a happy
For some individuals, the need for admiration and self-importance exceeds the norms, this is where narcissism comes into play. Narcissism is a personality disorder that many people in countries worldwide suffer from. Someone who suffers from this personality disorder holds abnormal behaviors that shows a need for appreciation and usually lack empathy for others. They are considered to be extremely selfish and revolves around self-centeredness. What happens when a narcissistic individual becomes a parent? There are many different ways parents raise their children; the common parenting techniques used are determined as authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive. The different parenting styles also
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a mental disorder that is considered to be an impairment in personality functioning, the presence of pathological traits, lack of empathy for others and a need for admiration. This type of personality disorder has some related disorders such as antisocial behaviors, interpersonal exploitation and envy. According to Luo, Cai, & Song (2014), “Narcissism refers to a kind of abundant self-love, characterized by a series of characteristic including self-desire for admiration, fantasies of superiority, hypersensitivity to criticism, exploitation of people, and lack of empathy for others” (p. 1). There have been ongoing discussions on how this type of behavior is processed in the brain. It is not clearly known
In Jean Twenge’s novel titled, “Generation Me”, she describes “Generation Me” as a group of self-obsessed, overconfident, assertive, miserable individuals. “Gen-Me” cares about what other people think so much they 'll go to great lengths to “impress” their peers. Self-obsession can be viewed as a sickness of the mind. The average person may be oblivious to the fact that 1 out of 6 people are narcissists. “Narcissism falls along the axis of what psychologists call personality disorders, one of a group that includes antisocial, dependent, histrionic, avoidant and borderline personalities. But by most measures, narcissism is one of the worst, if only because the narcissists themselves are so clueless.” - Jefferey Kluger
In Greek mythology, Narcissus was the son of the nymph Liriope and the water god Cephissus. He was always looked upon for his unimaginable beauty. The blind seer Tiresias told his mother, Liriope, that he would live a long and healthy life! Of course, with one catch. He could never recognize himself. Because of his beauty many people fell in love with him. But Narcissus would never love anyone else back. He would just entertain them and then drive them off. In his eyes, nobody was worthy of him.
Narcissus was the son of a river god and a nymph. It was prophesied at his birth that he would live a long life if “he shall himself not know” (Ovid, Book three, Line 347). Echo was a nymph who angered Juno by distracted her while Jupiter was with other nymphs. Juno cursed her so that, “when speaking ends,/ All she can do is double each last word,/ And echo back again the voice she’s heard” (Ovid, Book 3, Line 364-6). When Narcissus was sixteen, he went out hunting with a group of friends and was separated from them.
Robbins & Judge (2009) describe narcissism as an individual “who has a grandiose sense of self-importance, requires excessive admiration, has a sense of entitlement, and is arrogant.” Poet Tony Hoagland brought up a valid observation in the textbook about the American culture