WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Narcissism, a characteristic trait that is being widely discussed by today's generation refers to being overly confident, feeling superior to others, and believing they deserve special treatment. It means such persons see themselves as very important and better than others. They might also act bossy or like they're in charge. If someone challenges their self-image (like questioning their abilities or making them feel small), they can get angry or even lash out as a way to defend their ego.
The concept of narcissism originates from the Greek myth of Narcissus, a young man who was so entranced by his own reflection in a pool of water that he fell in love with it. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, he eventually perished there. The term Narcissism was first coined by Paul Nacke, a German psychiatrist, and was popularized by Sigmund Freud who used it to describe a psychological condition characterized by extreme self-admiration.
However, it is important to distinguish between narcissism as a personality trait and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).
Narcissism is a common personality trait that exists on a spectrum and may not necessarily impair functioning, while NPD is a clinical diagnosis characterized by pervasive patterns of grandiosity, lack of empathy, and an excessive need for admiration. It significantly affects a person's relationships, work, and overall functioning.
While narcissism can hinder the ability to cultivate long-term, healthy relationships, it does have a brighter side-when combined with traits of extraversion, it can render such individuals charming and popular. They also tend to exhibit high resilience, enabling them to recover quickly from setbacks, which can enhance their prospects for success and visibility.
Building and sustaining friendships are crucial to being liked. Narcissistic individuals can quickly make friends; however, maintaining these relationships over time can prove more challenging. Their tendency toward reactive aggression-such as being quick-tempered or defensive-can undermine their popularity in social groups.
A study conducted in Hungary by Szabo and colleagues explored the connection between the darker aspects of personality-specifically Machiavellianism, subclinical psychopathy, and subclinical narcissism-and how these traits relate to peer-rated likability and popularity within a natural high school classroom environment. The study involved 184 students, averaging 16 years of age, and found that narcissism was strongly linked to being liked and popular, while Machiavellianism and psychopathy showed only a slight correlation with social acceptance.
Machiavellian individuals often act friendly or even generous, but only when it benefits them. For example, they might help someone if it makes others think highly of them. However, they're not very genuine in their relationships. They prefer to be friends with people they can easily control or take advantage of. They might not share much about themselves and could secretly feel happy when something bad happens to their friends. Their adaptive behavior strategies act both in favor and against the attainment of popularity. They show great success in short-term relationships increasing their likeability but in the long run within communities where members interact regularly, their true nature and intentions become apparent, leading to negative evaluations from others.
While inflated self-esteem, entitlement, and the exploitation of others present clear disadvantages, these behaviors can also be seen as a common effort among adolescents and individuals to assert their dominance, gain respect, stand out, and ultimately find a sense of belonging.
The study findings are published in the Europe's Journal of Psychology.
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