Those who have narcissism usually develop manipulative behavior.
Narcissism is a typical behavior or mania of the narcissus . This adjective, which comes from the mythological character Narcissus , refers to the man who prides himself on being beautiful, who is in love with himself or who takes too much care of his composure. Narcissism, therefore, is excessive complacency in considering one's own faculties.
The concept was developed by the Austrian Sigmund Freud and encompasses a series of person characteristics linked to vanity and ego . These properties can cause the narcissist to have trouble functioning in society .
The myth
The myth of Narcissus states that he is the son of Cephissus and Liriope . Narcissus is a young man of singular beauty who awakens passions in mortals and gods, which are not reciprocated due to the boy's inability to recognize the other and love him.
Seeing his own face reflected in the water, Narcissus is enchanted and cannot stop contemplating himself. The boy then stops taking care of his own basic needs, becomes absorbed in his image, and ends up turning into a beautiful and smelly flower.
Narcissism according to psychology
For evolutionary psychology , narcissism is a stage of development. In the first months of life, the child experiences primary narcissism , since all his or her energies are directed toward satisfying his or her needs. The baby is not able to recognize the outside world.
The next phase is secondary narcissism : the child recognizes objects and notices that they can cause pleasure or pain.
In adult life, the narcissist has a very vulnerable self-esteem since he does not tolerate criticism and feels outraged by negative comments about himself.
The narcissist develops a self-admiration that is excessive.
Characteristics of the narcissistic individual
There are many characteristics that can perfectly identify what the personality of a narcissist is. However, among all of them, what stands out is that he has a point of view on life that he considers irrefutable and true , he has an inexhaustible need for adulation and admiration and he lives permanently worried about himself and his needs.
This means that, among other things, narcissistic people tend to surround themselves with other individuals who they consider inferior to them, either due to certain circumstances or because they are made to believe so out of pure interest.
Nor can we overlook the fact that narcissists are so full of their ego , of flattering themselves, of exalting themselves and of becoming possessors of the most absolute truth, that they usually lack any type of reflection both on their life in particular and on others. the general
Narcissism as a personality disorder
It is important to highlight the fact that a disorder can occur from narcissism. Specifically, what has been called narcissistic personality disorder may appear, which is part of the group of emotional disorders.
Whoever suffers from this condition is identified by his fantasies of power and success, the need at all times to feel admired in an exaggerated way, absolutely lacking empathy, being a very envious person, showing himself to others with certain airs of superiority and considering that he has more rights than anyone else and that he is above the rest.
Callousness and antisocial personality are characteristics of an individual with narcissism.
Examples of this type of behavior
We can find numerous examples of narcissistic behavior in everyday life. Narcissism appears when, out of arrogance or grandiosity, a person always talks about himself, without paying attention to what his interlocutor tells him.
Suppose two friends meet to talk. While one feels distressed about relationship and work problems, the other tells him about his love successes and his progress at work. Due to egocentrism , this individual does not worry about trying to console someone who is going through a bad time or give them encouragement, but instead limits himself to listing his achievements. There is a need for admiration that only leads him to expect applause and congratulations from others and a callousness and lack of empathy that makes him not listen to anyone.
Many times, the narcissistic individual hides his insecurity and envy . Take the case of a boss who, to his employees, always brings up his academic and professional background. It does not congratulate workers who advance with their studies or recognize their contributions to the company. It can be thought that, behind narcissism, there is suspicion in the leader: he fears that some subordinate, with his development and growth, will take away the place of privilege he has. That is why it seeks, at all times, to demonstrate a supposed superiority.
A young man who enjoys looking at his own photographs on the phone and makes fun of the appearance of others, meanwhile, is another example of a narcissistic person. This boy, who has the financial capacity to follow the diet he wants and has free time to go to the gym and exercise, despises those who, in his opinion, do not look good.