Narcissism describes the trait of excessive self-love, based on self-image or ego. In Psychology, self-esteem reflects a Person 's overall evaluation or appraisal of her or his own worth A person's self image is the mental picture generally of a kind that is quite resistant to change that depicts not only details that are potentially available to objective Id, ego, and super-ego are the three parts of the " Psychic apparatus " defined in Sigmund Freud 's structural model of

The term is derived from the Greek myth of Narcissus. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance Greek mythology, Narcissus, Narkissos or The Self-Admirer (Νάρκισσος was a Hero of the territory of Thespiae in Boeotia Narcissus was a handsome Greek youth who rejected the desperate advances of the nymph Echo. In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human female form In Greek mythology, Echo ( Greek: Ἠχώ was an Oread (a mountain Nymph) who loved her own voice As punishment, he was doomed to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. Unable to consummate his love, Narcissus pined away and changed into the flower that bears his name, the narcissus.

In psychology and psychiatry, excessive narcissism is recognized as a severe personality dysfunction or personality disorder, most characteristically Narcissistic personality disorder, also referred to as NPD. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and Psychiatry is a medical specialty which exists to study, prevent, and treat Mental disorders in Humans Psychiatric Personality disorder, formerly referred to as a Character Disorder is a class of mental disorders characterized by rigid and on-going patterns of feeling thinking and behavior Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD is a Personality disorder defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the diagnostic classification

Sigmund Freud believed that some narcissism is an essential part of all of us from birth and was the first to use the term in the reference to psychology. Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded ^[1]

Andrew Morrison claims that, in adults, a reasonable amount of healthy narcissism allows the individual's perception of his needs to be balanced in relation to others. ^[2]

The terms "narcissism", "narcissistic" and "narcissist" are often used as pejoratives, denoting vanity, conceit, egotism or simple selfishness. Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt Aside from its common usage signifying "excessive pride" in literary terms a conceit is an Extended metaphor with a complex Logic that governs Egotism is the motivation to maintain and enhance favorable views of self Selfishness denotes the precedence given in thought or deed to the Self, i Applied to a social group, it is sometimes used to denote elitism or an indifference to the plight of others. In Sociology, a group can be defined as two or more Humans that interact with one another accept expectations and obligations as members of the group and share a Elitism is the belief or attitude that those individuals who are considered members of the Elite &mdash a select group of people with outstanding personal abilities intellect

Narcissistic culture

Main article: The Culture of Narcissism

Historian and social critic Christopher Lasch described this topic in his book, "The Culture of Narcissism",^[3] published in 1979. The Culture of Narcissism American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations, a 1979 book by the cultural historian Christopher Lasch (1932 - 1994 explores Christopher (Kit Lasch ( June 1, 1932, Omaha Nebraska – February 14, 1994, Pittsford New York) was a well-known American He defines a narcissistic culture as one in which every activity and relationship is defined by the hedonistic need to acquire the symbols of spiritual wealth, this becoming the only expression of rigid, yet covert, social hierarchies. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic Hedonism is the Philosophy that Pleasure is of ultimate importance, the most important pursuit @@@ main@@@ - title Hierarchy@@@ keywords structure; sociology; information@@@ review@@@ - It is a culture where liberalism only exists insofar as it serves a consumer society, and even art, sex and religion lose their liberating power. Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces males produce male gametes (spermatozoa or Sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova or Egg cells; individual A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos

In such a society of constant competition, there can be no allies, and little transparency. The threats to acquisitions of social symbols are so numerous, varied and frequently incomprehensible, that defensiveness, as well as competitiveness, becomes a way of life. Any real sense of community is undermined -- or even destroyed -- to be replaced by virtual equivalents that strive, unsuccessfully, to synthesize a sense of community. It can mean also many other things.

Contrary to Lasch, Bernard Stiegler argues in his book, Aimer, s’aimer, nous aimer: Du 11 septembre au 21 avril, that consumer capitalism is in fact destructive of what he calls primordial narcissism, without which it is not possible to extend love to others. Bernard Stiegler (born April 1, 1952) is a French Philosopher and Director of the Department of Cultural Development at the Centre Consumer capitalism describes a theoretical economic and cultural condition in which consumer demand is manipulated in a deliberate and coordinated way on a very large scale ^[4]

Narcissism in evolutionary psychology

The concept of narcissism is used in evolutionary psychology in relation to the mechanisms of assortative mating, or the non-random choice of a partner for purposes of procreation. Evolutionary psychology ( EP) attempts to explain mental and psychological traits ��such as Memory, Perception, Assortative mating (also called assortative pairing) takes place when sexually reproducing Organisms tend to Mate with individuals that are like An article published in 2005 by Alvarez summarizes the work in this field.

Evidence for assortative mating among humans is well established; humans mate assortatively regarding age, IQ, height, weight, nationality, educational and occupational level, physical and personality characters and family relatedness. In the “self seeking like” hypothesis, individuals unconsciously look for a mirror image of themselves in others, seeking criteria of beauty or reproductive fitness in the context of self-reference.

The study of Alvarez indicated that facial resemblance between couples was a strong driving force among the mechanisms of assortative mating: human couples resemble each other significantly more than would be expected from random pair formation. Since facial characteristics are known to be inherited, the "self seeking like" mechanism may enhance reproduction between genetically similar mates, favoring the stabilization of genes supporting social behavior, with no kin relationship among them. ^[5]

Medical narcissism

Medical narcissism is a term coined by John Banja in his book "Medical Errors and Medical Narcissism". ^[6][7]

Banja defines "Medical Narcissism" as the need of health professionals to preserve their self esteem leading to the compromise of error disclosure to patients.

In the book he explores the psychological, ethical and legal effects of medical errors and the extent to which a need to constantly assert their competence can cause otherwise capable, and even exceptional, professionals to fall into narcissistic traps.

He claims that: ". . . most health professionals use potty training(in fact, most professionals of any ilk) work on cultivating a self that exudes authority, control, knowledge, competence and respectability. It’s the narcissist in us all—we dread appearing stupid or incompetent. "

Celebrating narcissism

Dandyism

Main article: Dandy

A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and the cultivation of leisurely hobbies. A dandy (also known as a beau gallant or flamboyant person is a man who places particular importance upon Physical appearance, refined language and leisurely hobbies Variations in the physical appearance of humans, known as human looks, are believed by Anthropologists to be an important factor in the development of personality and Some dandies, especially in Britain in the late 18th and 19th century, strove to affect aristocratic values even though many came from common backgrounds. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Aristocracy is a form of Government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations Thus, a dandy could be considered a kind of snob. A snob, guilty of snobbery, is someone who adopts the Worldview that some people are inherently inferior to him/her for any one of a variety of reasons including

The Dandical Body from Sartor Resartus by Thomas Carlyle:

"A Dandy is a clothes-wearing Man, a Man whose trade, office and existence consists in the wearing of Clothes. Thomas Carlyle (4 December 1795 – 5 February 1881 was a Scottish essayist satirist and historian whose work was highly influential during the Victorian era. Every faculty of his soul, spirit, purse, and person is heroically consecrated to this one object, the wearing of Clothes wisely and well: so that the others dress to live, he lives to dress. . . And now, for all this perennial Martyrdom, and Poesy, and even Prophecy, what is it that the Dandy asks in return? Solely, we may say, that you would recognise his existence; would admit him to be a living object; or even failing this, a visual object, or thing that will reflect rays of light. . . "

New Romantic

Main article: New Romantic

Decadence and Narcissism were recurring themes in the New Romantic movement that began in London Nightclubs in the 1980s. New Romantic was a short- lived Fashion and music movement that occurred primarily in the United Kingdom and Ireland during the very early 1980s The movement was all about style, as former punks clothed themselves in surreal, anarchic glamour and romance, and postured.

It was all about making "an effort to look flamboyant in an attractive, luxuriant, beautiful, narcissistic way"^[8] with icons such as David Bowie, Boy George, Adam & the Ants, Bryan Ferry, Gary Numan, Soft Cell and Duran Duran. David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. Boy George (born George Alan O'Dowd 14 June 1961 in Eltham London) is an English Singer-songwriter, who was part of the English New Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945 in Washington, Sunderland) is an English Singer, Musician, Songwriter and occasional Gary Numan (born Gary Anthony James Webb on 8 March 1958 is an English singer composer and musician Soft Cell are an English Synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s Duran Duran are an English Pop rock band famous for a long series of popular singles, albums and vivid Music videos for which they've won two ^[9]

Metrosexual

Main article: Metrosexual

In 1994, in the British Newspaper The Independent journalist Mark Simpson first coined the term "Metrosexual". Metrosexual is a Neologism generally applied to heterosexual men with a strong concern for their appearance or whose lifestyles display attributes stereotypically seen among Metrosexual is a Neologism generally applied to heterosexual men with a strong concern for their appearance or whose lifestyles display attributes stereotypically seen among

In 2002 he went on to further define the term on Salon.com. Saloncom, part of Salon Media Group ( often just called Salon, is an online

"Well, perhaps it takes one to know one, but to determine a metrosexual, all you have to do is look at them. In fact, if you're looking at them, they're almost certainly metrosexual. The typical metrosexual is a young man with money to spend, living in or within easy reach of a metropolis -- because that's where all the best shops, clubs, gyms and hairdressers are. He might be officially gay, straight or bisexual, but this is utterly immaterial because he has clearly taken himself as his own love object and pleasure as his sexual preference. Particular professions, such as modeling, waiting tables, media, pop music and, nowadays, sport, seem to attract them but, truth be told, like male vanity products and herpes, they're pretty much everywhere. "^[10]

Incurvatus in se

Main article: Incurvatus in se

It was perhaps Augustine of Hippo who first coined the phrase Incurvatus in se. Incurvatus in se ( Latin: turned/curved inward on oneself is a theological phrase describing a life lived "inward" for self rather than "outward" for God This was later popularized and expounded upon by Martin Luther and Karl Barth who assert that because of Original Sin, human beings are focused on pleasing themselves and abusing the gifts of God for their own purposes and that to this end, people create all sorts of idols and means by which they may glorify themselves. Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer Karl Barth ( May 10, 1886 &ndash December 10, 1968) (pronounced "bart" a Swiss Reformed theologian was one Original sin is according to a doctrine in Catholic theology, humanity's state of Sin resulting from the Fall of Man. They also claim that, even though people are justified by Jesus dying on the Cross, they still possess a propensity to sin against God because of this condition. In Christian theology, justification is God 's act of declaring or making a sinner righteous before God Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE)

Martin Luther characterised love not as a drive, but as an experience that comes to man. Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer When asked if that also applied to love of self, he replied that it did, identifying such love as "incurvatus in se ipsum" or "love that is bent towards self" which Jan Lindhart compares with "the Narcissus of Greek mythology, who fell in love with his own reflection" and concludes that, "In this way, sentiment remains determined by its object". ^[11]

Although some people believe that people are to blame for their own condition, others believe that narcissism is a personality disorder and is uncontrollable by the ill. They characterize people as their own images and differently than most. They see people as obstacles and things that stand in their own way and do not fear losing friends and loved ones to isolate themselves. Some people claim this condition to be a self-defense mechanism for protecting one's emotions from people who may "harm their feelings".

See also

• Narcissism (psychology)
• Narcissistic personality disorder
• Malignant narcissism
• Narcissism of small differences
• Megalomania
• Zoe Tullett syndrome
• Hubris
• Peter Pan syndrome
• Dorian Gray syndrome
• Superiority complex

References

^[1]

External links

• Narcissism Jeremy Holmes
• Lasch on Culture of Narcissism Dolores James
• The new narcissism, Nicholas Carr