This article is about narcissism as a word in common use. For narcissism in psychology, see
Narcissism (psychology).
Narcissism describes the trait of excessive
self-love, based on
self-image or
ego.
The term is derived from the
Greek mythology of
Narcissus. Narcissus was a handsome Greek youth who rejected the desperate advances of the
nymph Echo. As punishment, he was doomed to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. Unable to consummate his love, Narcissus pined away and changed into the flower that bears his name, the
narcissus.
Narcissus by
CaravaggioA Boeotian hero whose archaic myth was a cautionary tale warning boys against being cruel to their lovers.
In
psychology and
psychiatry, excessive narcissism is recognized as a severe personality dysfunction or
personality disorder, most characteristically
Narcissistic personality disorder, also referred to as NPD.
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.
Sigmund Freud believed that some narcissism is an essential part of all of us from birth and was the first to use the term in the reference to psychology.
[1]Andrew Morrison claims that, in adults, a reasonable amount of healthy narcissism allows the individual's perception of his needs to be balanced in relation to others.
[2]
Nanyang Junior College 
