The word itself originates in a Greek myth about a hunter known for his beauty who “distained those who loved him, causing some to take their own life to prove their devotion to his striking beauty. Narcissus is the origin of the term narcissism, a fixation with oneself and one's physical appearance or public perception.” wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_(mythology)
It is also said we are all narcissistic in that one must have some degree of focus on the self in order to survive. Self preservation is essentially a manifestation of the biological drive instincts that enable all creatures to survive and procreate. There are degrees of self preservation, and there are degrees of narcissism. Narcissism might be seen as a pathological expression of self preservation. “Self-preservation is normal and healthy, but narcissism is detrimental to the species. The difference between them shows in our interaction with others.” http://refulgentcoleman.blogspot.com/2013/10/self-preservation-vs-narcissism-three.html
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) identifies 9 criteria that might be called “self-involvement indicators”, and proposes a diagnosis of pathological narcissism when 5 of the 9 are present in an individual. It is also important to note theory is continually evolving as our understanding grows, and apparently DSM-6, when it is published, will contain alterations. One medical sociologist has this to say:
When I first started in the world of conventional mental health the DSM 3 was being used. It was a helpful manual at the time. However, what the lay person needs to understand is that these illnesses are created by symptoms that overlap with various diagnoses. That many people are improperly diagnosed therefore receive the wrong treatment causing more problems in the form of medication side effects with treatment that has zero to do with the cause of the problem .There are no tests to check for mental illness except for brain scans that show schizophrenia. Dr. Daniel Amen believes his brain scans help to diagnose mental illness among other things, some of his peers disagree.
Instead of using destructive labels how about we deal with the negative events and/or physiological issues like psychosis due to a lack of vitamin B12 in the case of one vegetarian I read about yesterday. Or how about hormonal imbalance or leaky gut? https://www.quora.com/When-is-the-DSM-6-likely-to-be-released-What-important-revisions-will-it-contain/answer/Suzanne-Kellner-Zinck
Personally I support the view that many pathological mental disorders are exacerbated or caused completely by biochemical imbalances addressed more efficiently in many cases with better nutrition and a discontinuation of medications foreign to the body.
Pathological narcissism is thought to be caused by exogenously induced trauma into the very young developing ego, which creates the neurotic condition of “over-defensiveness”, which then begins to manifest as compromised interaction with others, and self-destructive behaviors.
The Mayo Clinic web page on narcissistic personality disorder lists symptoms and behavioral manifestations:
Signs and symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder and the severity of symptoms vary. People with the disorder can:
- Have an exaggerated sense of self-importance
- Have a sense of entitlement and require constant, excessive admiration
- Expect to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it
- Exaggerate achievements and talents
- Be preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
- Believe they are superior and can only associate with equally special people
- Monopolize conversations and belittle or look down on people they perceive as inferior
- Expect special favors and unquestioning compliance with their expectations
- Take advantage of others to get what they want
- Have an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
- Be envious of others and believe others envy them
- Behave in an arrogant or haughty manner, coming across as conceited, boastful and pretentious
- Insist on having the best of everything — for instance, the best car or office
At the same time, people with narcissistic personality disorder have trouble handling anything they perceive as criticism, and they can:
- Become impatient or angry when they don't receive special treatment
- Have significant interpersonal problems and easily feel slighted
- React with rage or contempt and try to belittle the other person to make themselves appear superior
- Have difficulty regulating emotions and behavior
- Experience major problems dealing with stress and adapting to change
- Feel depressed and moody because they fall short of perfection
- Have secret feelings of insecurity, shame, vulnerability and humiliation
“Treatment for narcissistic personality disorder centers around talk therapy (psychotherapy).”
General awareness of this disorder appears to be on the rise. If you do a web search on narcissistic personality disorder you can quickly find videos by clinical psychologists speaking about symptoms and manifestations in more general terms. Perhaps the most significant of these are lack of empathy as the basic condition, and emotional volatility as the basic manifestation.
In my own experience emotional problems can be largely overcome with a combination of talk therapy (which I view as basically a course of self-education), good nutrition, and physical activity. The three of these concurrently might be said to be “the holy trinity” of healing for these modern times where “emotional intelligence” is not taught in schools (and many families are dysfunctional), the general state of nutrition is abysmal, and many of us do not “move our bodies” sufficiently for good health.
On another level it might be said we can come to greater awareness of the potential for negative impact (to our health) caused by our survival instincts formed in prehistoric “wild conditions” while living our lives in “civilized conditions”. An excellent book “The Pleasure Trap: Mastering the Hidden Force that Undermines Health & Happiness” co-authored by psychologist Doug Lisle and nutritionist Alan Goldhamer cover this topic succinctly: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+pleasure+trap&crid=36AKDBKSMNEPX&sprefix=the+pleasure+%2Caps%2C194&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_13
In brief the “motivational triad” is 1) seek pleasure 2) avoid pain 3) conserve energy, a good prescription for success in a nomadic hunter gatherer world where calories are scarce, predators are everywhere, and abundant energy is necessary for survival. None of those conditions exist in “civilized world”, in fact it is quite the opposite: calories (pleasure) that are nutritionally deficient while being “too delicious” to resist are everywhere, predators are banished, and we sit and look at “screens” for hours at a stretch.
Is it any wonder in our time we see exponential progression of so-called “degenerative diseases”, and increasing levels of narcissism?
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