Narcissism - Self Centered People Commonly Abuse Drugs and Alcohol
The terms "narcissism", "narcissistic" and "narcissist" are often used as pejoratives, 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. Arguably, however, these terms are used to draw parallels between allegations of self-centeredness and Narcissistic personality disorder, rather than toward healthy self-love.
Narcissism is egocentric behavior that occurs as a result of low self-esteem, or feeling inferior in certain situations, caused by a gap between the ideal self (standards set by others, for example, parents) and the real self. This results in threatening situations (real or perceived), which lead to anxiety, which in turn lead to the development of defense mechanisms to defend the individual's ego. Defense against a real or perceived threat involves denial and distortion of facts, projection and splitting.
The hallmark of a narcissist is the development of a superiority complex as a response to feeling inferior. This involves exaggerating his own achievements and putting down anyone that he perceives as a threat.
Most narcissists (50-75%, according to the DSM IV-TR) are men.
The Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is one of a "family" of personality disorders (known as "Cluster B"). Other members of Cluster B are Borderline PD, Antisocial PD and Histrionic PD.
NPD is often diagnosed with other mental health disorders ("co-morbidity") - or with substance abuse and impulsive and reckless behaviors ("dual diagnosis").
NPD is new (1980) mental health category in the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual (DSM).
It is estimated that 0.7-1% of the general population suffer from NPD.
The true cause of Narcissism is not fully understood but it does start in early childhood (before the age of five). It is believed that it is caused by serious and repetitive failures on the part of the child's Primary Object (usually these are parents but can sometimes be another caregiver). Adult Narcissist often come from homes where one or both parents severely neglected (ignored) or abused the child.
One big question that remains unanswered is why some children turn into adult narcissist while others who come from similar environments do not. I find it especially interesting that ALL children (healthy and otherwise) when they are not allowed to do something by their parents will sometimes enter into a narcissistic state where they see themselves and act as if they are all powerful. This is healthy and natural as it gives the child the confidence needed to rebound from the parental rejection with self confidence.
The following parenting behaviors may result in a child becoming a narcissist in adulthood:
• Permissive parents who give excessive praise to the child, thus fostering an unrealistic view of themselves
• Overindulgence and spoiling by parents
• Failing to impose adequate discipline
• Idealization of the child
Find new and better ways to live on newliferecovery.net
newliferecovery.net is the leader in helping individuals find peace and recovery in life, once they are ready to move forward
