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Topic: Narcissists: Not Self Love
 Narcissism,
in human psychology, is the pattern of
thinking and behaving which involves
infatuation and obsession with one's self
to the exclusion of others. It may be
seen manifest in the chronic pursuit of
personal gratification and public
attention, in social dominance and
personal ambition, braggadocio,
insensitivity to others (lack of empathy)
and/or excessive dependence on others to
meet his/her responsibilities in daily
living and thinking.
The narcissist has an unhealthily high
self-esteem. For the narcissist,
self-worth is the belief that he/she is
superior to his/her fellow humans; it is
not enough to be "okay" or "pretty good,"
the narcissist can only feel worthwhile
by experiencing him/herself as the
"best". From childhood through adulthood,
this narcissistic belief may be
reinforced by others to the extent that
the narcissist is actually competent,
intelligent and/or attractive, or is
manipulative enough to get others to make
him/her seem competent, intelligent or
attractive.
The narcissist most often comes to the
attention of the mental health profession
when, beset by some personal failure or
having otherwise become aware of his/her
lack of superiority, he/she falls into an
acute depressive or anxiety state, or
even becomes temporarily psychotic.
Unfortunately, the emergence of such
states has often been misinterpreted by
mental health professionals as a sign
that the narcissist fundamentally suffers
from low self esteem. As a result,
psychotherapy often ends up simply
restoring the narcissism rather than
helping the patient accept his/her true
equality and mortality.
Conversely, narcissists who are
repeatedly confronted with their own
human limitations - often due to a lack
of skills, intelligence, looks or social
support necessary to maintain external
reinforcement of their ultimate
superiority - may become frustrated,
angry and even dangerously aggressive. At
this point, the narcissistic may evolve
into a sociopath.
(source:
Wikipedia the online encyclopedia)
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