What is narcissism?

Narcissism is considered part of a normal personality, such as love of self-image ; but in excess it can also become a problem and is considered clinically in  narcissistic personality disorder . This is a diagnosable personality disorder that causes people to have a delusional sense of self – worth , a lack of empathy, and a constant need for admiration.

Narcissistic people are often described as arrogant, selfish, and manipulative, and may at times believe that they are special and deserve special treatment. People with Narcissistic Personality Disorder find it difficult to tolerate criticism or defeat, tend to become easily frustrated, and may feel humiliated or empty when they experience disagreement from other people.

Nowadays , narcissism is present in popular culture and speaks everyday, as a person who has very high self-esteem or believes himself superior to all others.

Characteristics of narcissistic people

• Narcissistic people usually consider themselves special and believe that they can only be understood by other people who present the same virtues as them.
• They present a very high level of self-esteem socially, to the point that it can be considered pathological, but behind this high level of self-esteem is a person with emotional insecurity , low self-esteem and lack of self –  confidence .
• If someone damages their image or makes criticisms that are not within their acceptable range, they can be dominated by anger and retaliate towards that person.
• They are people who require constant attention and need to be praised and admired all the time .
• They are generally envious , manipulative people and take advantage of others to achieve their purposes.
• They lack empathy , they are disinterested in the needs of others but they want everyone to attend to their needs.
• They present a significant deterioration in the social and labor areas.

In general, narcissism leads those who suffer from it to have episodes of anguish and anxiety , it can even lead to depression .

Who was Narcissus?

As a phenomenon, narcissism has been recognized since the time of the ancient Greeks. The origin of the word comes from the myth of Narcissus , a Greek who was so beautiful that he fell in love with his own image, to the point that it led to his death.

The myth of Narcissus is one of the most popular Greek myths, due to the uniqueness of its history. Narcissus, son of Cephisus and Lyriope, was a very beautiful young man , with whom all the maidens were in love. They declared their love to Narcissus but he continually rejected them. Nemesis the goddess of revenge, wanted to punish Narcissus for his callousness and arrogance and made him fall in love with his own image reflected in the water. Walking on the shore of a lake, Narcissus decided to drink some water, but when he saw his reflection in it, he was surprised by the beauty of her image and was fascinated by the reflection of himself. Trying to obtain the object of his desire he died on the banks of the river, where later a flower that would bear his name grew, the narcissus.