Narcissistic personality disorder

The origin of the word that refers to this disorder arises from   Narcissus -from Greek mythology-, a man with great beauty, a superior beauty (for him), which made him fall in love with his own image; this infatuation with himself brought him to his final point – death.

What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

The narcissistic personality disorder is like any personality disorder , a set of psychic alterations that generate an abnormal behavior pattern, with emotions, behaviors and thoughts that are considered inappropriate according to the limits imposed by the culture.

Subjects with Narcissistic Personality Disorder have a general pattern of grandiosity in imagination and / or behavior, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy .

People with this type of disorder not only have extra confidence in themselves, but also do not value the feelings or ideas of others, nor do they give relevance to the needs of the other.

People with narcissistic personality disorder generally cannot maintain long relationships , as they do not show their true essence and are always afraid of getting hurt, therefore they become jealous, arrogant and competitive with their own partners or group of friends, and these relationships they often turn stormy.

Not every narcissistic person suffers from this personality disorder. A person can be narcissistic but not suffer from this type of disorder that affects mental health, because to suffer from this disorder, the narcissist would have to exceed his love for himself, to the point where it becomes unsustainable and is considered a disorder (alteration psychic balance).

Characteristic signs of narcissistic disorder:

• Grandiosity
• Sense of self-importance
• Overvaluation of their abilities
• Exaggerates qualities and knowledge
• Need for admiration
• Lack of empathy
• They don’t care about others except as fans
• Fantasies of: unlimited success, power, beauty, love, etc.
• It is believed special and unique
• Can only be understood by pairs
• Always expect to receive special treatment
• Excessive self-admiration
• Exploits others to achieve his own goals
• Envy the successful
• He thinks they envy him
• They are surprised if others do not envy him
• You think you deserve more than other people
• Arrogance
• Pride
• Increased self- esteem
• Relates to people with low self-esteem
• Constant need for admiration and attention
• Self-Appreciation of Grandiosity
• Unaware of the damage your comments can cause
• Little affectionate and affectionate
• Subtle aggressiveness
• Using irony constantly

Narcissistic disorder and self-esteem

Self-esteem and narcissism usually go hand in hand. Both begin to develop in the latency period – which begins around 6 years. When children begin the school stage they begin to see themselves with different eyes, they care about the other’s gaze and they begin to grant themselves hierarchical places, both within the school institution and within the home. At this time the child’s self-esteem is very fragile and can fluctuate from low to high according to the occasion.

The excess of high self-esteem in children, although it is generated by their position within the school hierarchy (admiration, praise and popularity generated by their peers), is mainly influenced by the different parenting styles and the position given to the child inside the home.

Narcissism tends to develop in tandem with parental overvaluation – for example, parents who overestimate their children’s IQ, overestimate their behaviors, and even try to stand out from the crowd by making them feel on a higher level. These actions and the vision of their parents are what unconsciously drive the child’s interactions with others. It should be noted that having high self-esteem does not mean that you have a narcissistic personality disorderIn fact, moderately elevated self-esteem can demonstrate that the individual is in good mental health. This will occur as long as the individual seeks self-satisfaction and does not overlook the needs of the other, or seeks to sabotage the self-esteem of others through psychological manipulation .

It may seem that subjects with this personality disorder have high self-esteem and a great capacity for self – confidence , but in some cases it is exactly the opposite. Some of the people who suffer from this disorder are very insecure of themselves , people who cannot bear criticism and hide within their shell of superiority for fear of being emotionally damaged.

Treatment of narcissistic disorder

One of the most used treatments that demonstrate its effectiveness is psychotherapy . In this, your psychotherapist will help you through conversation to better understand this psychopathology and thus be able to generate healthy bonds and learn to relate to other people.

Psychotherapy also helps the patient understand the causes of their emotions and what drives them to compete and mistrust others.

Because personality traits can be difficult to change, this therapy can take a long time depending on the mental state of each patient.

Sometimes, if you suffer from depression or anxiety due to this disorder, your therapist may prescribe specific medication to treat its symptoms.