What or Who is a Narcissist? And are You One?

It's a word you won't come across very often but it is actually one of the most descriptive terms in the English language for what could be loosely called an egotist. But it is not just as simple as that. The word, narcissism, comes from the Greek, Narkissos, which described the handsome Greek youth who rejected the advances of the nymph, Echo. These days the term is sometimes related to the word, hubris, and is mostly related to psychology.

When I decided to write this article for my blog about narcissism, it took several minutes or so to try to pronounce the word correctly. I eventually listened to the pronunciation online, and I think I can now aver unequivocally, that I can pronounce the word with narcissistic confidence!

The basic fact about this attitude is that at its core extreme narcissism is an egotistical preoccupation with the self, personal preferences, aspirations, needs, success, and how a person is perceived by others. The latter is one of the more comprehensive definitions. Some amount of basic narcissism can be seen as being healthy but this type of narcissism is better termed as responsibly taking care of oneself. It is what can be called 'normal' or 'healthy' narcissism. But, unfortunately, in this day and age, it seems all aspects of personal life are called into question and the pros and cons deliberated.

So, does narcissism include an exceptional interest in or admiration for oneself, especially one's physical appearance or sexual satisfaction derived from the contemplation of one's own physical or mental endowments? At its basic level are we talking (for women) the size of one's breasts, or for men, the size of one's penis? A narcissist might express these words as, the size of her tits or the size of his cock? You tell me.

So in light of the previous paragraph, which individuals come to mind that represents and humanises the word narcissist? For me I would see the following as sublime examples of narcissism: Madonna, Kanye West, Donald Trump, Kim Kardashian, Quentin Tarantino, Liam Neeson - the list goes on.  

I've heard it said that narcissism is actually a personality disorder because of the obsession with the preoccupation with one's ‘self’ and how one is perceived by others. It would seem that some narcissists pursue gratification from vanity and the admiration of their own physical and intellectual attributes. So just briefly here are some pointers when checking a narcissist personality: of course preoccupied with the ‘Self’, being above the rules, inability to take criticism, refusal to take responsibility, quick to anger, excessive use of social networking and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - Google it.

And lastly, we have the selfie, this engrossment that has entered the domain of narcissistic terminology, that epitome of self-satisfying egotism that rears its ugly head. Maybe it's because I'm older and was brought up in a life where if you wanted to communicate with someone you telephoned them on a landline or simply wrote and posted them a letter. I suppose these days it's all about being 'out there' telling the whole world that you exist - look at me, I'm here, and I’m 'me'!