yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

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


3m read
·Nov 4, 2024

Processing might take a few minutes. Refresh later.

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...

More Articles

View All
B2B Startup Metrics | Startup School
[Music] Hi there, my name is Tom Blumfield. I’m a group partner at Y Combinator, and today we’re going to be talking about one of my favorite topics: metrics and why they’re so useful for startups. So why are metrics important? First of all, it’s pretty …
What Lies Beneath | Primal Survivor
Oh my God, it is a blue ringed octopus! See those beautiful blue circles? Those aren’t to make it look pretty; that’s warning coloration. Believe it or not, this tiny little creature is one of the most venomous marine animals in the entire world. The blue…
Mr. Freeman, part 05
Dear friends, citizens of free democratic countries! I, the most popular long-lived viral ad, congratulate you with the New Year! What are you looking at?.. Aaah… Message! The passing year was long and full of events. There was everything - happiness and…
2015 AP Calculus AB 5c | AP Calculus AB solved exams | AP Calculus AB | Khan Academy
So part C: Find the x-coordinates of all points of inflection for the graph of f. Give a reason for your answer. Points of inflection happen when we go from concave upwards to downwards or vice versa. This is true if and only if f double prime of x goes …
Caroline Hu Flexer answers viewer questions about Khan Academy Kids | Homeroom with Sal
Hello! Looks like we are live. Uh, hello everyone! Sal here from Khan Academy. Welcome to the daily homeroom. For those of y’all that this is the first time that you’re joining, this is really a way to connect and, uh, realize that we’re all part of a glo…
Which Hits The Ground First?
Now I’d like you to make a prediction. In my left hand, I have a basketball; in my right hand, a 5 kg medicine ball. If I hold them both above my head and then let them go simultaneously, which one will hit the ground first? Six years ago here at the Uni…