What is narcissism? Negative human qualities. Narcissism

Each person in one way or another loves himself. And rightly so, right. However, such phenomena often go beyond a certain framework and “narcissus” is said about a person. What this speech is about, the concept of "narcissism" - what it is and when to apply it correctly - I would like to talk about all this in detail in this article.

Term designation

First of all, you need to understand the concept itself. So, narcissism - what is it? At the very beginning, I want to say that the term comes from the name of a Greek young man - Narcissus (according to myths), who all the time admired himself to complete rapture and died of this love (as a punishment for rejecting the love of a beautiful nymph). If we go to the scientific language, then this state is a certain trait of a person’s character (it is classified as negative), which consists in complete narcissism. It is worth saying that in psychiatry there is no single exact, correct designation of this condition, because often it is considered in two different variations:

1. As a defensive reaction against a relationship unfavorable to humans.
2. As a manifestation of hostility towards people around.

Scientists

What scholars have studied the phenomenon of narcissism? Freud and Abraham - these are the people whose writings have repeatedly mentioned this concept. It is worth saying that they studied it in parallel, actively conducting correspondence, and later more closely communicating with each other about this. So, Freud (who adopted this term from Paul Nakke and Havelock Ellis, who interprets it as a person’s perception of his own body as a sexual object) said that any manifestation of narcissism is a compensation for insufficient mother-love, which manifests itself in such marvelous narcissistic characters.

What did Abraham say about such a thing as “narcissism”? What is it from his point of view? So, he considered this condition in patients with schizophrenia, who turned away from any other love and completely focused on themselves. This condition has so far been called autoerotism, which Freud really liked. He decided to develop it further, describing all his thoughts in the article “On Narcissism”, the work “Introduction to Narcissism”, etc.

A little more about Freud

It is worth mentioning that Freud singled out primary narcissism and secondary. What does this mean? In short, the primary form of this condition is the natural stage of development of each individual person, which occurs in early infancy and is a normal way of developing object relationships (according to Freud). Secondary narcissism (according to the statements of this scientist) is regressive, that is, a person chooses himself as love.

About Species

Understanding the concept of "narcissism" (what it is and how to use it correctly), it is worth paying attention to the fact that there are several types of this phenomenon. In addition, there are several classifications presented by various scientists on this subject. The first of these was compiled by a gestalt therapist Elinor Greenberg:

1. Healthy narcissism. When a person sufficiently loves himself, this state does not cross a certain line and is not narcissism. This is a certain self-confidence, desire for power, admiration. At the same time, the basis is a normal healthy childhood with correctly formed value judgments about oneself and others.
2. Protective narcissism. We can say that this is a sense of superiority that does not correspond to reality. As an example: the desire for power at any cost, the frequent change of goals, the replacement of ideals. The basis is often “unhealthy” traumatic childhood from a psychological point of view.
3. Pathological narcissism. Often inherent in people with various mental illnesses or disorders, such as schizophrenia.

Types: other classification

Nevertheless, it is worth saying that often the unconscious, that is, that which comes from childhood, plays a decisive role in this problem. And basically, narcissism is a destructive phenomenon that blocks the development of the "I-personality" of a person.

1. Constructive narcissism. We can say that this is a recognition of one's own worth as a person, based on healthy interpersonal relationships. If we take the above classification, then this is the so-called healthy or normal narcissism.
2. Destructive. This is a pathological distortion of constructive narcissism, which leads to the fact that the person simply incorrectly or inadequately assesses himself in relation to others.
3. Scarce. It is worth saying that this is an underdeveloped state of constructive narcissism. This is a kind of impossibility to fully experience self-sufficiency, autonomy, inability to form a complete, holistic view of your personality. The reason for this condition is often a cold or indifferent atmosphere in the family during the formation of the individual and the first steps of adaptation in society.

Components of daffodils

It is worth mentioning that in 2007, scientists Foster and Campbell reviewed various literature on the topic of "narcissism." Signs of a narcissistic personality - this is a very interesting classification provided in their conclusions:

1. People with this mental disorder think they are better than others.
2. Such individuals inadequately assess themselves in relation to others, their vision does not correspond to reality.
3. Daffodils tend to significantly exaggerate their knowledge in a particular area.
4. Persons with this disorder perceive themselves exclusively as unique, special people.
5. If there is a choice between interests, the daffodil will necessarily choose his own, putting them above strangers.
6. Often the goal of daffodils is success.
7. Daffodils tend to demonstrate their superiority over others.

Similar negative qualities

It is worth saying that, by its nature, narcissism is already a disease, a deviation in the human psyche. However, there are similar conditions that are inherent in people on the way to this disorder. So, what negative qualities are similar to this disorder? So, first of all, this is pride. One of the mortal sins according to the religious version, when a person is capable of too exalting himself, his successes and merits. The second such quality is narcissism. This is the first step towards narcissism, which, however, may remain the only one. A man loves himself so much that he simply inadequately correlates his personality with others, qualitatively distinguishing himself only.

What other negative qualities can be considered? So, this is self-confidence. In normal amounts, this is good, but pathological self-confidence is already a condition close to the mental disorder in question. In everyday life, the concept of narcissism is often associated precisely with these negative qualities inherent in a particular person.

Impact on life

It is worth saying that narcissism (both the first stages of its manifestation and the later ones) fully affects a person’s life. It is worth saying that this personality disorder (as, incidentally, other similar disorders) are characterized by three features:

1. It fully affects all spheres and areas of human activity.
2. This disorder is not fading, it remains stable over time.
3. Narcissism is necessarily accompanied by social maladaptation.

About the reasons

How does narcissism arise? Psychology, psychiatry say that the reasons lie in the early childhood of a person, namely in his relationship with his mother. The predisposition, of course, may be genetic, but nevertheless, the first months of a child’s life are most important. Various hardships, trials, undoubtedly leave a very deep mark in the baby’s soul and lead to deformation of the core of the “I-personality”. As a result, the child’s self-esteem remains in its infancy, all this leads to the formation of a pessimistic attitude, and the goal of the person in the future is to constantly maintain self-esteem (while the personality is not formed). However, it is worth mentioning that the earliest communication of the mother and the child — still intrauterine — is one of the first phases of the formation of the narcissism complex in the child (whether the child is desired, how much the mother is happy with the pregnancy, etc.). If a mother and baby are united in their love, parents devote enough time and care to the baby, help them adapt to the “big world”, we can say with confidence that a person is unlikely to have problems with “I-identification”.