Merriam-Webster dictionary defines narcissism as, “…[a] mental disorder characterized by extreme self-absorption, an exaggerated sense of self-importance, and a need for attention and admiration from others…narcissism is characterized by the tendency to take others for granted or to exploit them…”
Narcissism destroys interpersonal relationships and detracts from leadership ability.
Almost everyone has a little narcissistic tendency from time to time, but in the extreme, it’s a serious challenge.
Narcissism is egocentrism, which is symbolic of a weak ego. The truth about ego is that a strong ego (a healthy sense of self-worth) is desirable.
The problem with narcissism, and other personality red flags, is that you may not detect it upon first meeting someone. The actual personality may not be revealed for months or even years.
You could take the risk of trusting your gut exclusively to uncover red flag personality traits, but that too often leads to disaster.
To gain a real advantage, and ultimately save a lot of your time and money, consider unconventional security investigations.
Copyright © 2014 Scott Petullo
3 Responses
Dear Scott,
I have studied this pathology, for years. Unfortunately, when I was only 19 years old, no one had ever heard the word, “narcissism”. Now, it is all over the media. There is nothing which can be done, except for cognitive-behavioral therapy, and he would have to be “open” to it. His is 70 years old, and I guarantee that he is NOT open to anything. (Sad).
Thank you kindly for all of your insightful and helpful articles.
Happy Holidays.
In Love and Light,
Kathy
Dear Scott,
How far is the issue of narcissism related to our democratic religion of secular Humanism and its privileging of the (primarily male) individual in our modern mass state education ?
I ask this question from the context of suffering with narcissism and from it by, now passed over, narcissist parents.
The manner in which our academics are trained, especially Freudian based psychology, has always thrown me back upon myself as both source and problem. Therein reinforcing a taught tautology of narcissism !
As a woman I remember the moment when my narcissistic bubble was first broken.
Violent rape suffered as a nice middle class child left shards of ectoplasm about my body as well as effectively placing me permanently outside acceptable society as moral convention dictates that any victim of rape is seen as embodying the crime.
Acccordingly, I was thrown into total self- reliance at a very early age – another reinforcement of my narcissism through an act upon me by another narcissist.
I have learned from this life and my attempts to understand, heal and find balance that this issue goes way beyond the individual. Scapegoating the narcissist is dictating that they alone carry the dysfunction of the philosophical error underlying democracies.
Sara, my findings show that narcissists are of all walks of life, from every corner of the globe, within all types of societies, and under all forms of government. It’s not a political problem or a social problem, it’s a personal problem, and the narcissist isn’t a victim. Personal responsibility is the solution, and there seems to be a significant shortage of this in the modern, politically correct-saturated world in which we live.