Why is self-obsession called narcissism?
We keep hearing the term narcissism, especially in association with self-absorbed teens and young people. Since 2019, the term has become even more popular. Being confined at home, enjoying too much appreciation on social media and over-utilising the selfie mode on mobiles have led to the increase of this tendency.
What is narcissism and from where do we get this term?
Narcissism refers to a trait of being entirely self-obsessed, having very fixed opinions, and a grandiose, unrealistic idea of one’s capabilities. The term comes from Narcissus, a character from Greek mythology. Narcissus was a very handsome young man, also very full of himself. A young woman called Echo fell in love with him. But she was shy, so she just followed him, waiting for him to speak first. When he asked, ‘who’s there?’, she also said, ‘who’s there?’ When she came in front of Narcissus and confessed her love, he refused her rudely. She was heart-broken, but he refused to consider her. She pined away till only her voice was left. That’s how we have the concept of echo.
As for Narcissus, he had a bad end too. He discovered his beautiful face while bending at a pool to drink water. He kept on staring at the reflection. Some versions say he fell into the pool and died. Most say Narcissus refused to drink water and died of thirst, staring at his own face. He has been reborn as the brightly coloured Narcissus flower that blooms next to water bodies and has a bent stem.
Is Narcissism only about looks?
Unlike the simple moral tale, narcissism is complex modern mental and emotional issue. Narcissism is more about behaviour than looks. Narcissistic people do not confine themselves to selfies, they try to push their opinions everywhere, have adjustment issues, are self-righteous and believe they have achieved a lot.
What do modern studies say about narcissism?
The hugest study on narcissism was done by Michigan State University, where researchers sampled 750 respondents to track varying narcissistic tendencies from 13 to 70 year olds. The following findings were revealed: