Narcissism is a psychological condition characterized by excessive love for oneself or one's own image, the need for attention and the desire to control others. This condition can be normal in children up to two years old for example, however it starts to be worrying when older people have these characteristics, which is called narcissistic personality disorder.
The narcissistic person usually devalues the other person to make them feel good, which makes normal day-to-day relationships difficult. Despite this, narcissists' self-confidence and self-esteem, when they are not excessive, can serve as a stimulus for other people and inspire confidence.
According to Freud, narcissism has two phases:
- Primary phase, which is characterized by self-love and overvaluation of the self; Secondary phase, in which there is the development of the person's personality and characteristics that he believes differentiate him from other people.
Characteristics of a narcissistic person
The narcissistic person usually has the following characteristics:
- Need for attention and admiration; Need for approval; Feeling that the world revolves around you; Believe that you have no defects, do not fail or make mistakes; Intolerance of criticism; Feeling of ownership of the truth; Believe that there is no one to their height; feel superior; excessive concern with material goods; devaluation of the other; lack of understanding of the feelings of the other; they do not listen to others; need and overvaluation of status; constant concern with beauty, power and success; extremely ambitious; They believe they are envied; Lack of empathy; Lack of humility; Contempt for others; Tendency to be arrogant.
Often these characteristics are exalted even by family members or people close to the narcissist, which ends up stimulating this personality disorder.
Narcissists are usually not the best people to have around, as they feel good about seeing the other person devalued. However, when these characteristics are not so exacerbated, it is possible to live well and learn some values such as self-worth, self-confidence and self-esteem.
How to live with narcissism
Usually people who suffer from narcissistic personality disorder do not really know what is going on, they consider the whole situation completely normal. However, if friends and family notice the occurrence of typical characteristics of a narcissistic person, it is important that there is psychological or psychiatric monitoring, depending on the manifested characteristics.
People who live daily with narcissists should also have psychological counseling, as their personality may be devalued so much that it can trigger depression. Know what can cause depression.
