The name narcissistic is derived from a Greek myth. According to legend, a young man named Narcissus sees his image in the water and falls in love with it. A person with narcissistic personality disorder, like Narcissus, has created an ideal and unreal image of himself and loves it. You may be surprised that this can be due to a lack of confidence and a deep sense of insecurity that even the person is unaware of. In this article we are o provide you with comprehensive information about this disorder and answer all your questions.
A person with a narcissistic personality disorder has high and false self-confidence, seeks the attention and admiration of others, and is usually not good at empathizing with others. Common characteristics of these people include the need for admiration, lack of empathy with others, and exaggeration.
What is Narcissistic Personality?
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a type of personality disorder. A mental disorder in which a person has a sense of self-aggrandizement. He pays too much attention and admiration for himself. His empathy with others is weak and he has complicated relationships. These people have false self-confidence, in the other words they seek for other people compliment and if they are not praised, they will be upset and dissatisfied.
They may be thought as arrogant and lazy people and other people may not feel good about being around them. Self-obsessed personality disorder causes problems in many aspects of life, including relationships, work, and personal life.
Read more: what is obsession?
Symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder
These people usually seem arrogant and self-centered. They believe that head and shoulder above the others. People with narcissistic personality disorder can hardly manage their emotions. They overreact to criticism. These people may engage in impulsive behaviors such as high-risk sex and gambling. It may seem that people with this disorder have high self-esteem, but it is quite the opposite. These people have very fragile self-esteem that is why they always want to be seen at the top of everything and be superior to others.
Narcissistic personality disorder usually appears in early adulthood. The severity of symptoms in a narcissistic personality disorder can vary from person to person. People with this disorder can have the following characteristics:
- Exaggerating self-importance
- You deserve to be praised constantly and too much
- Dream of success, strength, brilliance, beauty and an ideal spouse
- Using others to achieve their own purpose
- Underestimating the needs and feelings of others
- Being jealous of others and believing that others are jealous of them
- Having arrogant behavior
- Being very sensitive and quick to criticism
- Impatient and nervous
- Despite having many interpersonal problems, they are very indifferent and cold-blooded.
- Reaction with anger and aggression to make themselves superior and the other person inferior.
- Difficulty regulating emotions and behaviors
- Difficulty coping with stress and accepting change
- Having feelings such as insecurity, shame, vulnerability and feelings of inferiority
- Inability or unwillingness to identify the feelings or needs of others
- exaggerating about your own problems and not being interested in hearing about other people’s problems.
Causes of narcissistic personality disorder
According to research, genetics can play an important role in causing this disorder.
Environmental factors can also have a great impact on the formation of this disorder. These factors include the following:
Child abuse or neglect
Paying too much attention to the child
Unrealistic expectations of parents
Sexual restraint (often accompanied by narcissism.)
Cultural influences
Diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder
Diagnosing narcissistic personality disorder is challenging. Because it can overlap with other types of personality disorders. A person may have narcissistic personality disorder and another disorder at the same time. A person with a narcissistic personality disorder may not be able to recognize that the problems in their life are due to their own behavior and blame others instead. A person with narcissistic personality disorder may be very sensitive to their own criticism or weaknesses. This prevents others from talking to him about his behavior and how harmful it can be.
At least five of the following criteria are necessary to diagnose narcissistic personality disorder:
- Tendency to magnify themselves
- Unlimited mental preoccupation with power, talent, beauty or ideal love
- Belief in their uniqueness
- Need to be admired
- Misplaced expectations
- Lack of empathy and unwillingness to understand the feelings and needs of others
- Jealousy of others
- Having arrogant behaviors
Treatment of narcissistic personality disorder
There is no cure for this disorder. Yet, Psychotherapy can help a person to communicate more effectively with others.
Creating positive interactions with other people can greatly improve different aspects of your life.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy can help people with this disorder to go through the treatment process. Psychotherapy and counseling help include the following items:
- Improve your relationship with colleagues and peers.
- Maintain your personal relationships.
- Recognize your strengths so that you can withstand criticism or failure.
- Understand and manage your emotions.
- Set realistic goals for yourself.
- Boost your self-esteem.
Because changes in personality is difficult, it can take several months for improvement to occur. During this time, the person may see the treatment as a waste of time and be tempted to give it up. However, it is important to help him adhere to the treatment.
The following are tips for people with narcissistic personality disorder that may help during treatment:
Avoid alcohol, drugs and other substances that cause negative behaviors.
Exercise at least three times a week to help boost your mood.
Practice relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation to reduce stress and anxiety.
Accept what you cannot get.
Recovery from narcissistic personality disorder takes time. Try to stay motivated by considering your goal of recovery and reminding yourself of it.
You can try to repair damaged relationships so that you may be more satisfied with your life
Prevention of narcissistic personality disorder
Since the cause of narcissistic personality disorder is unknown, there is no specific way to prevent it. However, the following may be helpful:
- Awareness of children’s mental health problems and prompt action to treat it
- Attend family therapy classes so you can learn healthy ways to deal with emotional problems.
- Participate in parenting classes
- You can get help from therapists or social workers if needed.
Risk factors for narcissistic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder is more common in men than women. This disorder often begins in adolescence or early adulthood. Keep in mind that some children may have a narcissistic trait, but that does not mean they have a narcissistic personality disorder. Some researchers believe that children who are biologically vulnerable are more likely to develop the disorder.
