How many of us have heard at least one person say “I am a bit narcissistic” when they refer to the fact that person thinks highly of themselves, but in reality it is a mental illness that takes a huge toll on the lives of the people that have this mental illness and the people around them.
The name has its roots in Greek mythology in the myth of Narcissus. Narcissus was the son of the nymph Liriope and he was destined to live until he saw his reflection. He became an extremely gorgeous man and many fell in love with him, but he rejected everyone. One day while hunting he saw his reflection in a pond and was completely enchanted by it and fell in love with his own beautiful face. Not realizing it was himself that he was staring at he tried to get closer but it was in vain. When he realized that he couldn’t have the object of his desire he killed himself and he was transformed into a narcissus flower by the gods.
Well, now that we know the origin, how is narcissism characterized? The National Library of Medicine describes it as a persistent pattern of grandiosity, fantasies of unlimited power or importance, and the need for admiration or special treatment.
What are the most common traits?There are a few traits that line up with Narcissistic Personality Disorder: the main one being arrogance and an inflated sense of self that makes them need constant praise for even the most menial of achievements, that they should receive special privileges only because they are who they are, they also expect to be recognized as superior to others even though they have done nothing to be perceived as such. Another common trait is their preoccupation with having the best in life and fantasizing about success, power, beauty, basically their perfect life.
How they fair in their relationships? In relationships, they usually see themselves as superior to others as they believe that they are “special” and are incredibly critical of people that they see as they see them as inferior, they also take advantage of the people around them as ,most times, they see them as inferior and expect people to follow them and do what they want without questioning them as they see their judgment as superior. While in relationships they are envious of others as they see them having something that belongs to them and are unwilling to recognize the way that others feel.
So now one question remains, can you spot a narcissist?
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