“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” asks the queen from the Disney fairytale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The magic mirror would always reply, “You are the fairest on this land.” This cycle went on for a long time and boosted the queen’s ego. However, her self-esteem went crumbling down, when someone fairer than her was born on that land. She always wanted to be admired. She could not handle rejection and wanted the title back.
Psychologists call the queen an open book definition of narcissist. Narcissism is a gradually spreading personality trait. But, is this a good thing? Definitely not! Professionals define a narcissist as someone who has an extremely elevated sense of self-worth. He always wants to be the center of attention and does not handle rejection properly.
Since these people are always in the spotlight and are always being admired, people find themselves being attracted to them. These friendships look great for the short term. However, as time passes, the true colors of these people start unfolding. They do not have any regard for anyone else’s feelings. They will go to any extent to put others down and feel happy.
DEVELOPMENT OF NARCISSISM
Narcissist personality disorder develops gradually due to the combination of biological and environmental factors. This is also known as the role of nature and nurture. The child who may seem cute right now for his tantrums and putting other kids down, if not treated with therapy, will turn out to be the definition of narcissist in future. The traits of narcissism begin to show during the preschool years of a child. These gradually turn into harmful and sabotaging behavior.
Narcissism is generally associated with the delusions of grandiose. Here, people have delusions related to being superior to others. They do not have a sense of reality and always perceive themselves to be right.
SOCIAL ISOLATION
Narcissists have a hard time making friends and therefore, are left socially isolated in the end. They have trouble being transparent and intimate with people. Therefore, they cannot have close relationships with other people. They use other people to bring themselves a sense of entitlement. Narcissists believe themselves to be special and unique. If their needs are being ignored, their ego gets hurt. A person who is a narcissist is vain and egocentric at the same time. He does not bother catering to the feelings of other people. He is emotionally unavailable.
All these things make others leave people who are narcissists. Therefore, these people give in to social isolation and therefore remain alone for a large part of their lives. This could also sometimes lead them to suicidal thoughts and ideas. Suicidal ideation is a common feature seen in narcissists. Therapy becomes vital to heal and become a better person. There are different types of therapies that a person could opt for. Group therapies or individual therapies – both are equally important and effective in helping the individual.
