Narcissism

Narcissism describes the character trait of self love.

The word is derived from Greek mythology. Narcissus was a handsome Greek youth who rejected the desperate advances of the nymph Echo. As a punishment, he was doomed to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. Unable to consummate his love, Narcissus pined away and changed into the flower that bears his name, the narcissus.

In moderation, narcissism is said to be an essential component of a healthy psyche.

In psychology and psychiatry, excessive narcissism can become pathological, or manifest itself as a severe personality disorder such as NPD.

The word is often used as a pejorative, denoting vanity, conceit, egotism or simple selfishness. Applied to a social group, it is sometimes used to denote elitism or an indifference to the plight of others.

Sexual Narcissism

Sexual narcissism is the erotic preoccupation with oneself as a sexual being: a desire to merge sexually with a mirror image of oneself. Sexual narcissism can also be an egocentric pattern of sexual behavior, defined by David Farley Hurlbert and Carol Apt Hurlbert, D.F., Apt, C., Sexual narcissism and the abusive male. as an inability to experience intimacy combined with a fixation on the sexual act, using high sexual esteem to compensate for low general self esteem. This is believed to be more common in men than in women and is suggested to be the basis of sex addiction.

Narcissistic Culture

Historian and social critic Christopher Lasch (1932—1994) described this topic in his book, "The Culture of Narcissism",Lasch, C, The Culture of Narcissism. 1979 published in 1979.

He defines a narcissistic culture as one in which every activity and relationship is defined by the hedonistic need to acquire the symbols of material wealth, this becoming the only expression of rigid, yet covert, social hierarchies. It is a culture where liberalism only exists insofar as it serves a consumer society, and even art, sex and religion lose their liberating power.

In such a society of constant competition there can be no allies, and little transparency. The threats to acquisitions of social symbols are so numerous, varied and frequently incomprehensible, that defensiveness, as well as competitiveness, becomes a way of life. Any real sense of community is undermined -- or even destroyed -- to be replaced by virtual equivalents that strive, unsuccessfully, to synthesise a sense of community.

Narcissism as a genetic trait

In the decades since the discovery of DNA and the subsequent mapping of the human genome questions have arisen as to whether traits of personality, including narcissism, are partially or fully determined by one’s own genes.

Heritability study with twins

W. John Livesley (M.D., Ph.D.) is a Canadian physician specializing in the research of personality disorders. In 1993 he and his colleagues published a landmark paper entitled Genetic and environmental contributions to dimensions of personality disorder, which concluded that narcissism, as measured by a standardized test, was a common inherited trait. The study subjects were 175 volunteer twin pairs (90 identical, 85 fraternal) drawn from the general population. Each twin completed a questionnaire that assessed 18 dimensions of personality disorder. The authors estimated the heritability of each dimension of personality by standard methods, thus providing estimates of the relative contributions of genetic and environmental causation. Of the 18 personality dimensions, narcissism was found to have the highest heritability (0.64), indicating that the concordance of this trait in the identical twins was mainly due to genetics. Of the other dimensions of personality, only four were found to have heritability coefficients of greater than 0.5: callousness, identity problems, oppositionality and social avoidance. The general conclusions of the study were: (1) agreement with other studies that some personality factors have significantly high heritability coefficients, and (2) there exists a continuum between normal and disordered personality.Livesley, W.J., Jang, K.L., Jackson, D.N. and P.A. Vernon (1993). "Genetic and environmental contributions to dimensions of personality disorder". American Journal of Psychiatry 150, 1826-1831. Abstract online. Accessed June 18, 2006.

Narcissism in NPA theory

The NPA personality theory, based on Mendelian genetics, was developed during the 1980s by physician A.M. Benis. The theory divides personality into three major behavioral traits: narcissism (N), perfectionism (P) and aggression (A), leading to the formulation of discrete character types.

Benis defines the trait of narcissism thus:

"The innate stereotypic acts associated with the trait include flaunting body posturing, expansive arm gestures, bowing, colorful self-adornment, and a natural attraction to the limelight of personal recognition. Individuals of the pure N type are competitive but non-aggressive in their strivings for recognition. The trait corresponds to a striving for glory in one's environment, hence is the second main component of human ambition. In a pejorative connotation the unbridled trait of narcissism may reveal itself in the context of conceit, exhibitionism, vanity and messianism. An associated innate facial expression is the radiant gingival smile (broadly exposing gums and teeth). The facial complexion tends toward blood red or ruddy in individuals of light skin color. Hallmarks of the trait include blushing, flushing, and a mass discharge of the parasympathetic nervous system: the narcissistic rage of defense and withdrawal. During the expression of this rage the normally sanguine complexion becomes even more florid."Benis, A.M., Sc.D., M.D. Narcissism: a genetic trait. Accessed June 18, 2006.

In 2005, an online personality test was created to illustrate the theory to those interested in their own persona. It can be taken in English and French versions.

Celebrating Narcissism

Dandyism

A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and the cultivation of leisurely hobbies. Some dandies, especially in Britain in the late 18th and 19th century, strove to affect aristocratic values even though many came from common backgrounds. Thus, a dandy could be considered a kind of snob.

The Dandiacal Body from Sartor Resartus by Thomas Carlyle:

"A Dandy is a clothes-wearing Man, a Man whose trade, office and existence consists in the wearing of Clothes. Every faculty of his soul, spirit, purse, and person is heroically consecrated to this one object, the wearing of Clothes wisely and well: so that the others dress to live, he lives to dress...And now, for all this perennial Martyrdom, and Poesy, and even Prophecy, what is it that the Dandy asks in return? Solely, we may say, that you would recognise his existence; would admit him to be a living object; or even failing this, a visual object, or thing that will reflect rays of light..."

New Romantic

Decadence and Narcissism were recurring themes in the New Romantic movement that began in London Nightclubs in the 1980s. The movement was all about style, as former punks clothed themselves in surreal, anarchic glamour and romance, and postured, always on the lookout for new ways to draw attention to themselves.

It was all about making "an effort to look flamboyant in an attractive, luxuriant, beautiful, narcissistic way" 1980s Fashion History, New Romantics. Accessed June 19, 2006. with icons such as David Bowie, Adam & the Ants, Bryan Ferry, Gary Numan and Duran Duran.Scotland on Sunday, 14 March, 2004, Who says romance is dead? Accessed June 19, 2006.

Metrosexual

In 1994, in the British Newspaper The Independent journalist Mark Simpson first coined the term "Metrosexual".

In 2002 he went on to further define the term on Salon.com.

"Well, perhaps it takes one to know one, but to determine a metrosexual, all you have to do is look at them. In fact, if you're looking at them, they're almost certainly metrosexual. The typical metrosexual is a young man with money to spend, living in or within easy reach of a metropolis -- because that's where all the best shops, clubs, gyms and hairdressers are. He might be officially gay, straight or bisexual, but this is utterly immaterial because he has clearly taken himself as his own love object and pleasure as his sexual preference. Particular professions, such as modeling, waiting tables, media, pop music and, nowadays, sport, seem to attract them but, truth be told, like male vanity products and herpes, they're pretty much everywhere."Simpson, Mark Meet the Metrosexual. Accessed June 19, 2006.

External links

References

Love | Vice

In the video game series suikoden there is always a narcisist in the game.
In the video game series suikoden the narcisists names are, Milich Oppenheimer,Vincent de Boule,esmerelda,simone,augustine,Schtolteheim Reinbach III,Charlemagne and josephine.
In the video game chrono cross there is a narcisist named pierre.

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