17.8.20 Narcissism
In Greek mythology, ‘Narcissus… the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope… was distinguished for his beauty. According to Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Book III, Narcissus’s mother was told by the blind seer Tiresias that he would have a long life, provided he never recognized himself. However, his rejection of the love of the nymph Echo or (in an earlier version of the young man Ameinias), drew upon him the vengeance of the gods. He fell in love with his own reflection in the waters of a spring and pined away (or killed himself); the flower that bears his name sprang up where he died. The story may have derived from the ancient Greek superstition that it was unlucky or even fatal to see one’s own reflection. Narcissus was a very popular subject in Roman art. In Freudian psychiatry and psychoanalysis, the term narcissism denotes an excessive degree of self-esteem or self-involvement, a condition that is usually a form of emotional immaturity.’ (Britannica, no date).
‘Narcissism, pathological self-absorption, first identified as a mental disorder by the British essayist and physician Havelock Ellis in 1898. Narcissism is characterized by an inflated self-image and addiction to fantasy, by an unusual coolness and composure shaken only when the narcissistic confidence is threatened, and by the tendency to take others for granted or to exploit them. The disorder is named for the mythological figure Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection. According to Sigmund Freud, narcissism is a normal stage in child development, but it is considered a disorder when it occurs after puberty…
Narcissistic personality disorder is usually diagnosed through clinical evaluation. It is defined by the fifth edition (2013) of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in terms of the personality traits of grandiosity and attention-seeking and in terms of significant impairments in personality functioning—such as looking excessively to others for the regulation of self-esteem, viewing oneself as exceptional, having impaired empathy, and having mostly superficial relationships. Those qualities remain relatively stable over time and are not attributable primarily to a medical condition, the use of drugs, or the individual’s developmental stage. Researchers have also investigated a less-extreme form of narcissism that is termed the narcissistic personality type. Such individuals possess most or all of the characteristics of the narcissistic personality disorder but are considered within the normal range of personality.
Persons who display either narcissistic personality disorder or the narcissistic personality type are preoccupied with maintaining excessively positive self-concepts. They become overly concerned with obtaining positive, aggrandizing feedback from others and react with extreme positive or negative emotions when they succeed or fail to receive confirmation that others hold them in high regard. Narcissists want positive feedback about themselves, and they actively manipulate others to solicit or coerce admiration from them. Accordingly, narcissism is thought to reflect a form of chronic interpersonal self-esteem regulation’. (Britannica, no date).
I don’t think I’m a narcissist just because I’m driven to make self-portraits.
Britannica (no date 1) Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Narcissus-Greek-mythology (Accessed 17 August 2020)
Britannica (no date 2) Available at: https://www.britannica.com/science/narcissism (Accessed 17 August 2020)
In Greek mythology, ‘Narcissus… the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope… was distinguished for his beauty. According to Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Book III, Narcissus’s mother was told by the blind seer Tiresias that he would have a long life, provided he never recognized himself. However, his rejection of the love of the nymph Echo or (in an earlier version of the young man Ameinias), drew upon him the vengeance of the gods. He fell in love with his own reflection in the waters of a spring and pined away (or killed himself); the flower that bears his name sprang up where he died. The story may have derived from the ancient Greek superstition that it was unlucky or even fatal to see one’s own reflection. Narcissus was a very popular subject in Roman art. In Freudian psychiatry and psychoanalysis, the term narcissism denotes an excessive degree of self-esteem or self-involvement, a condition that is usually a form of emotional immaturity.’ (Britannica, no date).
‘Narcissism, pathological self-absorption, first identified as a mental disorder by the British essayist and physician Havelock Ellis in 1898. Narcissism is characterized by an inflated self-image and addiction to fantasy, by an unusual coolness and composure shaken only when the narcissistic confidence is threatened, and by the tendency to take others for granted or to exploit them. The disorder is named for the mythological figure Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection. According to Sigmund Freud, narcissism is a normal stage in child development, but it is considered a disorder when it occurs after puberty…
Narcissistic personality disorder is usually diagnosed through clinical evaluation. It is defined by the fifth edition (2013) of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in terms of the personality traits of grandiosity and attention-seeking and in terms of significant impairments in personality functioning—such as looking excessively to others for the regulation of self-esteem, viewing oneself as exceptional, having impaired empathy, and having mostly superficial relationships. Those qualities remain relatively stable over time and are not attributable primarily to a medical condition, the use of drugs, or the individual’s developmental stage. Researchers have also investigated a less-extreme form of narcissism that is termed the narcissistic personality type. Such individuals possess most or all of the characteristics of the narcissistic personality disorder but are considered within the normal range of personality.
Persons who display either narcissistic personality disorder or the narcissistic personality type are preoccupied with maintaining excessively positive self-concepts. They become overly concerned with obtaining positive, aggrandizing feedback from others and react with extreme positive or negative emotions when they succeed or fail to receive confirmation that others hold them in high regard. Narcissists want positive feedback about themselves, and they actively manipulate others to solicit or coerce admiration from them. Accordingly, narcissism is thought to reflect a form of chronic interpersonal self-esteem regulation’. (Britannica, no date).
I don’t think I’m a narcissist just because I’m driven to make self-portraits.
Britannica (no date 1) Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Narcissus-Greek-mythology (Accessed 17 August 2020)
Britannica (no date 2) Available at: https://www.britannica.com/science/narcissism (Accessed 17 August 2020)