MHM Magazine

Narcissism is a term that has become both over-used and abused in popular culture. A common accusation levelled towards ex- partners and an umbrella term for abusive behaviour, narcissism, can be more accurately viewed as a trait that runs the gamut of normal human behaviour. Like all personality traits, it becomes problematic when used rigidly and indiscriminately, while thinking about oneself and relating to other people. Narcissism is a term that was first used by Freud in relation to his theory of psycho-sexual development. He borrowed the term from the Greek myth of Narcissus, a beautiful young man who fell in love with his reflection in a pool, and eventually died there because he couldn’t look away. It’s a romantic image, but it only tells half the story. There is a lot more to narcissism than excessive self-love. In fact, it is better understood as the opposite. People with narcissistic traits are extremely self-absorbed, but this is a defence against an inner emptiness and feelings of unworthiness. Their personalities are organised around maintaining their fragile self-esteem by seeking attention and affirmation from outside themselves as compensation. It’s important to distinguish between narcissistic traits and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). A healthy personality uses a range of responses depending on the situation, whereas personality disorders, by definition, habitually utilise a very restricted range of defences. People who meet these diagnostic criteria are very rigid and unable to act or think outside their particular zone of experience. This is quite different to those who act in certain ways when under extreme psychological stress or circumstances such as substance abuse. NPD is a psychiatric condition. It’s one of the four cluster B personality disorders, the others being Anti-Social Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder and Histrionic Personality Disorder. All of these are marked by inappropriate and volatile emotions and unpredictable behaviour although internal motivations for these behaviours differ. It’s important to note that there is a great deal of overlap amongst the cluster B disorders, and a person may show traits of more than one. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM5) conceptualises personality disorders as occurring on a spectrum, so NPD can be viewed as mild, moderate or severe. By Emma Jesse Counselling Psychologist Johannesburg NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER Issue 1 | 2024 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 11 MHM