The Psychology of Narcissism [Traits, Symptoms, Origins & How to Protect Yourself]

Some experts call them inhuman, along with psychopaths and sociopaths, because of their significant lack of empathy and immense capacity for destruction. They don’t fight shy of systematic abuse and often leave a trail of misery when they move from prey to prey. And those who are associated with them, let it be family, friends, spouses, coworkers, or business partners, are left disillusioned and, in many cases, crushed.

Along with the lack of empathy goes a lack of personal responsibility. The environment they destroyed, ironically, also gets the blame for it, while they, themselves, seem to get out unscathed. Or so it seems. Because how can something be damaged when it’s already broken?

I’m talking about a specific group of individuals also known as people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder - in short: NPD - or simply referred to as ‘narcissists’. So, what’s narcissism? What are the symptoms and traits? Where does it come from, and how can we identify a narcissist?

There’s a lot of hype around narcissism and NPD; some describe narcissists as real-life demons that are only out there to cause misery, while others put more emphasis on the fact that they’re wounded souls that need healing. This video is an exploration of the psychology of narcissism that will hopefully lead to a better understanding.

Last decade, the term ‘narcissism’ has become widely popular and as ‘fashionable’ as autism as far as mental health conditions are concerned. Narcissism in itself (as opposed to NPD) isn’t necessarily a mental health disorder, but more of a character trait that appears as a pursuit to maintain an idealized self-image.

Narcissism is derived from the mythological character Narcissus, who fell in love with himself after looking in a pond. He was so obsessed with his reflection that he wasn’t able to part himself from it—a bit like Gollum and the ring. So, he drowned. Narcissus, the handsome man that couldn’t love anyone but himself, therefore, became the paragon of vanity and self-absorption.

So, is narcissism getting more common nowadays? According to a German study, there’s empirical evidence that narcissism is increasing in Western societies. They refer to certain symptoms like a change in language that has become more “I” centered, not only in books but also in song lyrics. There’s also a significant increase in people that call themselves ‘important’, and there’s a stronger emphasis on fame in TV shows.

Furthermore, self-reported grandiose narcissism among American college students increased by 30% between 1979 and 2006. Most people have some narcissistic traits. Sometimes, it’s great to look in the mirror and enjoy what we see and to share things about ourselves with others. And a little bragging won’t do harm, and it’s fine to be selfish occasionally.

But there are individuals with such high levels of narcissism that their behavior has become extreme and pathological. If that’s the case, they might be viable for the diagnosis ‘Narcissistic Personality Disorder’. Around 1% of the population has NPD, which means that a much larger group has narcissistic traits.

There’s a huge difference between narcissism, including healthy forms of narcissism, and NPD. People are often quick to label someone a ‘narcissist’, but someone with narcissistic behavior doesn’t automatically have a personality disorder. Some experts tell us that we are currently experiencing a narcissistic epidemic.

This only gets worse as we live in a society that’s more and more turning into a narcissistic playground. In today’s culture of social media, the increasing lack of true human connection, the growing importance of the individual, and the deification of money and status, it simply pays to be a narcissist.

Because what a narcissist is looking for is a specific form of attention, known as narcissistic supply, that functions as fuel for a terribly fragile ego. Today, everyone can put themselves on display through various platforms on the internet. It’s not just easy to acquire this...