What does Narcissism mean?

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We come across many people who are flashy and flamboyant in their approach and all they are interested is in talking about self. Who knows? Such people might be suffering from Narcissism! There are  many such examples of people who have  tendency of  self admiration and this self centered focus is termed as Narcissism. Such people have a habit of taking self admiration to extreme limits. Narcissism word is derived from Greek myth or concept in which a man called Narcissus who is supposed to be very handsome and good looking on viewing his own reflection falls in love with him. This personality disorders come under the group of conditions- dramatic personality disorders. Such people are bounded by unstable and intense emotions and possess a much distorted image about self in their minds. In Narcissism, the person is abnormally in love with self and possesses too much superiority complex and sense of self importance and is constantly preoccupied with power and success. In reality though these people are highly insecure internally and have a very low self esteem. Hence the goals and ambitions of such people are very impractical and unrealistic.


What are the symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder?

There are so many such people around us but we never can exactly pin point that they are suffering from narcissism. The best way is to compare the various symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder. Such people are:

  •  Highly boastful and self-centered and boastful
  •  Always needing admiration and attention
  •  Consider themselves superior to others
  •  Overstate their qualities, talents and accomplishments
  •  Believe that they are entitled to special treatment
  •  Never show even though they get hurt easily
  •  Have a tendency to take advantage of others for furthering their ambitions

Some other regular traits which can be occasionally found in narcissistic people are:

  • Such people have a tendency to become preoccupied and fantasize about infinite success, intelligence, power or even love and beauty
  • They believe that they are unique and special and are much above average class
  • They take others for granted and expect others to accept or go along with their decision and moves
  • They are simply unable to identify the needs, perspectives and feelings of others
  • They themselves are highly envious of others and feel that others envy them
  • They dislike being insulted or humiliated and cannot take defeat positively and react with fierce rage or shame
  • They behave arrogantly and have a tendency to show a superior attitude



What causes narcissistic personality disorder?

Until now the scientists have not been able to pinpoint the exact reason for the occurrence of narcissism but many health professionals are of the opinion that extremities in child rearing can give rise to such a personality disorder. Some of the related reasons can be excessive pampering, over abuse or neglect, too much of expectations of parents from children and trauma inflicted by some authority figure or even either of the parent during childhood. By the time the child reaches adulthood the symptoms start showing.


How is narcissistic personality disorder diagnosed?

So as to detect the narcissistic personality disorder, the doctors studies all the symptoms reflected by the behavior of the patient, his medical history if any and also conducts physical examination. Such disorders can’t be diagnosed through laboratory testing, but using of diagnostic tests like X-ray or blood tests is sometime prescribed to check out any physical illness. When no physical illness is traced, the person is then referred to psychiatrist who use mental illness treatment tools for assessment like specially modified interview and other interaction measure to understand the extent of disorder and on the basis of evaluation, further treatment mode is decided.


How is narcissistic personality disorder treated?

There is no known cure for narcissistic personality disorder, but psychotherapy (a type of counseling) might help the person learn to relate to others in a more positive and rewarding way. Psychotherapy tries to provide the person with greater insight into his or her problems and attitudes in the hope that this will change behavior. The goal of therapy is to help the person develop a better self-esteem and more realistic expectations from self and others. Medicine might be used to treat the distressing symptoms, such as behavioral problems, that might occur with this disorder.


What are the complications of narcissistic personality disorder?

People affected with narcissism are more prone to problems like drug or alcohol abuse that can lead to even abnormality in their physical state as well. Although there is no prevention for this disorder, there are treatments that can control narcissism in a person through regular therapy and counseling although it is a very lengthy process.


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