When the World Revolves Around You: Understanding Narcissism

Some people can be full of themselves. If they aren’t bragging about their riches, valuables, and plans for fame and success, they are wasting your time being an unnecessary narrator of themselves and picking you out as their sole audience. Indeed, narcissistic behaviour is always frowned upon by many, much so that it is now known as one of the most unattractive traits of a person.

You may have come across someone with this type of behaviour, and there is a strong chance that you didn’t like them one bit, and how could you? Aside from the fact that all they would talk about is their achievements, they tend to outright lie and talk about their accomplishments that were never true to begin with. 

You either have the option to play deaf or listen to more of their made-up trophies. With that said, you may be curious to know what being a narcissistic person is all about, their traits, and how they came to develop such a brash attitude. 

There is no need to look further—we’ve created this quick and easy guide for you:

1. There Are Different Types of Narcissism

Not many people may be aware of it, but there are two types of narcissism. One of them is known as grandiose narcissism. People who have this usually exhibit a superior image of themselves, having the desire to maintain that while coming off as dominating towards others. 

The other type is vulnerable narcissism, where a person feels more fragile yet continues to have an inflated self-image as a coping mechanism due to low self-esteem. They also tend to feel bad when it comes to rejection, something they would never take lightly.

2. There Is No Single Source or Cause for Being a Narcissist

Until this very day, countless psychologists and researchers are still discussing the possible root cause of narcissism. There is no definite cause for them other than the fact that it is attributed to various external factors. It isn’t just because someone had a bad day. 

No, there are many contributing factors when it comes to a person turning into one. It also takes quite some time for someone to manifest their attitude, though some researchers were shocked to glimpse some traits in eight-year-olds, a shocking fact that further complicates their findings.

3. There Is Such a Thing as a Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is different from the usual narcissistic traits. Of course, they share a couple of qualities in someone who is very assertive and confident about themselves. However, NPD dwells more on the checklist of traits rather than a whole spectrum of the manifestation. 

If they happen to show the five main characteristics of NPD, such as being interpersonally exploitative and lacking empathy, they are included in that category of disorders.

Conclusion

Encountering a narcissistic person often brings about bad experiences that usually result in insults and severe traumas. In such a case, the person manifesting those traits should approach a specialist immediately to help them with their condition and daily struggles. 

Familiarizing yourself with the types, the possible source or cause, and NPD bouts would help you cope better, especially if you begin to see the same characteristics within you.

If you are looking for counselling services in Cambridge, Ontario, look no further than Chettiar Counselling & Associates. Our therapists specialize in providing support for managing anxiety, depression, anger management, addiction counselling, among other things. Reach out to your best self—book an appointment with us today.