Way before the first selfie, the ancient Greeks and Romans had a myth about someone a little too obsessed with his own image. In one telling, Narcissus was a handsome guy wandering the world in search of someone to love. After rejecting a nymph named Echo, he caught a glimpse of his own reflection in a river, and fell in love with it. Unable to tear himself away, Narcissus drowned. A flower marked the spot of where he died, and we call that flower the Narcissus.
Davno prije prvog selfieja, antički Grci i Rimljani imali su mit o nekome previše opsjednutom samim sobom. Po jednoj predaji, Narcis je bio zgodan tip koji je lutao svijetom tražeći nekoga koga će voljeti. Nakon odbijanja nimfe po imenu Echo, uhvatio je pogled na vlastiti odraz u rijeci te se zaljubio u njega. U nemogućnosti da se odmakne, Narcis se utopio. Cvijet je obilježio mjesto gdje je umro, i danas taj cvijet zovemo narcisom.
The myth captures the basic idea of narcissism, elevated and sometimes detrimental self-involvement. But it's not just a personality type that shows up in advice columns. It's actually a set of traits classified and studied by psychologists. The psychological definition of narcissism is an inflated, grandiose self-image. To varying degrees, narcissists think they're better looking, smarter, and more important than other people, and that they deserve special treatment. Psychologists recognize two forms of narcissism as a personality trait: grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. There's also narcissistic personality disorder, a more extreme form, which we'll return to shortly.
Mit obilježava osnovnu ideju narcizma, visok i katkad štetan egocentrizam. Ali nije to samo tip ličnosti što se pojavljuje u stupcima sa savjetima. Zapravo je niz crta ličnosti koje klasificiraju i proučavaju psiholozi. Psihologijska definicija narcizma je napuhana, veličanstvena slika o sebi. Do određenog stupnja, narcisi misle da su boljega izgleda, pametniji, važniji od drugih ljudi i da zaslužuju poseban tretman. Psiholozi razlikuju dva oblika narcizma kao crte ličnosti: grandiozni i vulnerabilni narcizam. Tu je također narcisoidni poremećaj ličnosti, esktremniji oblik o kojemu će više riječi biti kasnije.
Grandiose narcissism is the most familiar kind, characterized by extroversion, dominance, and attention seeking. Grandiose narcissists pursue attention and power, sometimes as politicians, celebrities, or cultural leaders. Of course, not everyone who pursues these positions of power is narcissistic. Many do it for very positive reasons, like reaching their full potential, or helping make people's lives better. But narcissistic individuals seek power for the status and attention that goes with it.
Grandiozni narcizam najpoznatiji je oblik koji karakterizira ekstraverzija, dominantnost i traženje pažnje. Grandiozni narcisi traže pažnju i moć, ponekad kao političari, zvijezde ili kulturalni lideri. Naravno, nije svatko na tim pozicijama narcisoidan. Mnogi to rade iz pozitivnih razloga, poput ostvarenja punog potencijala ili pomaganju stvaranja tuđih života boljima. Ali narcisoidni pojedinci traže moć zbog statusa i pažnje koja ide s njom.
Meanwhile, vulnerable narcissists can be quiet and reserved. They have a strong sense of entitlement, but are easily threatened or slighted.
U međuvremenu, vulnerabilni narcisi mogu biti tihi i rezervirani. Oni imaju jak osjećaj o svojim pravima, ali ih je lako zastrašiti ili omalovažavati.
In either case, the dark side of narcissism shows up over the long term. Narcissists tend to act selfishly, so narcissistic leaders may make risky or unethical decisions, and narcissistic partners may be dishonest or unfaithful. When their rosy view of themselves is challenged, they can become resentful and aggressive. It's like a disease where the sufferers feel pretty good, but the people around them suffer.
U oba slučaja, tamna strana narcizma vidi se kroz duži period. Narcisi su skloni sebičnom ponašanju pa narcisoidni vođe mogu donijeti riskantne ili neetičke odluke, a narcisoidni partneri mogu biti neiskreni ili nevjerni. Kad je njihov ružičast pogled na sebe izazvan, postaju uvrijeđeni i agresivni. To je kao bolest u kojoj se bolesnik osjeća dosta dobro, ali ljudi oko njega pate.
Taken to the extreme, this behavior is classified as a psychological disorder called narcissistic personality disorder. It affects one to two percent of the population, more commonly men. It is also a diagnosis reserved for adults. Young people, especially children, can be very self-centered, but this might just be a normal part of development. The fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual describes several traits associated with narcissistic personality disorder. They include a grandiose view of oneself, problems with empathy, a sense of entitlement, and a need for admiration or attention. What makes these trait a true personality disorder is that they take over people's lives and cause significant problems. Imagine that instead of caring for your spouse or children, you used them as a source of attention or admiration. Or imagine that instead of seeking constructive feedback about your performance, you instead told everyone who tried to help you that they were wrong.
U krajnosti, ovo ponašanje može se klasificirati kao psihički poremećaj zvan narcisoidnim poremećajem ličnosti. On uključuje jedan ili dva posto populacije, pretežito muškarce. Ta se dijagnoza odnosi na odrasle osobe. Mladi ljudi, pogotovo djeca, mogu biti jako egocentrični, ali to može biti samo normalan dio razvoja. Peto izdanje Dijagnostičkog i statističkog priručnika Američke psihijatrijske udruge opisuje nekoliko crta ličnosti povezanih s narcisoidnim poremećajem ličnosti. One uključuju veličanstveni pogled na samog sebe, probleme s empatijom, osjećaj za prava i potrebu za tuđim divljenjem i pažnjom. Ono što ove crte ličnosti kreira u poremećaj ličnosti je ako one preuzmu živote ljudi i stvore značajne probleme. Zamislite da umjesto brige o svome partneru ili djeci, njih koristite kao izvor pažnje i divljenja. Ili zamislite da umjesto traženja konstruktivnih povratnih informacija o svojoj izvedbi, svima koji su vam pokušali pomoći kažete da su u krivu.
So what causes narcissism? Twin studies show a strong genetic component, although we don't know which genes are involved. But environment matters, too. Parents who put their child on a pedestal can foster grandiose narcissism. And cold, controlling parents can contribute to vulnerable narcissism.
Dakle, što uzrokuje narcizam? Istraživanja s blizancima pokazuju jak genetički utjecaj, iako nismo sigurni koji su geni uključeni. Ali i okolina je bitna. Roditelji koji svoje dijete tretiraju kao najbolje, mogu kultivirati grandiozni narcizam. I hladni, kontrolirajući roditelji mogu doprinijeti vulnerabilnom narcizmu.
Narcissism also seems to be higher in cultures that value individuality and self-promotion. In the United States, for example, narcissism as a personality trait has been rising since the 1970s, when the communal focus of the 60s gave way to the self-esteem movement and a rise in materialism. More recently, social media has multiplied the possibilities for self-promotion, though it's worth noting that there's no clear evidence that social media causes narcissism. Rather, it provides narcissists a means to seek social status and attention.
Čini se da je narcizam veći u kulturama koje cijene individualnost i samopromociju. U SAD-u, primjerice, narcizam kao crta ličnosti pojavljuje se češće od sedamdesetih, kad je zadružni fokus šezdesetih utro put samopoštovanju i povećanju materijalizma. Odskora, društveni mediji povećavaju mogućnost samopromocije, iako vrijedi napomenuti da ne postoje jasni dokazi da društveni mediji uzrokuju narcizam. Radije, oni pružaju narcisima sredstva za traženje socijalnog statusa i pažnje.
So can narcissists improve on those negative traits? Yes! Anything that promotes honest reflection on their own behavior and caring for others, like psychotherapy or practicing compassion towards others, can be helpful. The difficulty is it can be challenging for people with narcissistic personality disorder to keep working at self-betterment. For a narcissist, self-reflection is hard from an unflattering angle.
Dakle, mogu li se narcisi popraviti na ovim negativnim crtama ličnosti? Da! Bilo što što stvara iskreni odraz njihovog ponašanja i brigu o drugima, poput psihoterapije ili vježbe suosjećanja prema drugima, može biti korisno. Problem je što ljudima s narcisoidnim poremećajem ličnosti može biti izazov raditi na samopoboljšanju. Za narcisa, razmišljanje o sebi teško je iz nelagodnog kuta.