Professional Narcissism – Virtue of Flaw?
Narcissism is known to be the pursuit of gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one's own attributes.
Psychologically, it is defined as extreme selfishness, with a grandiose view of one's own talents and a craving for all or any type of admiration, as characterising a personality type.
Recently I got to thinking about Professional Narcissism.
I started to ponder why Professional Narcissism is so much frowned upon and whether the world has the whole spectrum of Workplace Narcissism upside down?
Is celebrating self-worth and recognising your own talents really a form of narcissism per se?
After all, most organisations I have either worked for or consulted with have
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So, does this all translate to companies wanting to employee Narcissists, without readily acknowledging that Professional Narcissism can in fact be a positive trait, rather than one which conjures up the worst possible images?
Could Professional Narcissism really be underrated for no good reason? The much maligned ‘self absorbed’ high achievers might in fact just be your average garden variety Narcissists.
When I delved into this further, I started to think that the workplace as a whole, might very well be full of ‘pseudo furtive Narcissists pretending to be Average Joes’ to simply fit in?
When all is said and done, who can honestly say that at some point in their career, they haven’t longed for gratification of some type? Be honest now and remember that gratification comes in many forms. What? You never wanted a pay rise, that corner office with the stunning city vista or a company vehicle? All of these ‘wants’ can be hallmarks of a Professional Narcissist, or in turn can simply be defined as ‘career
Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. (Mayo Clinic, 2014) Like other personality disorders, narcissists have traits that cause them to feel and behave in socially distressing ways, limiting their ability to function in important areas of life, such as school, work, and relationships. What may not be apparent to the outside eye is that there is a very fragile and friable self-esteem that is very thin-skinned. Those with this disorder think very highly of themselves and have a hard time seeing anyone else’s views, because they believe their way is the best way. They have self-centered fantasies that are high and wide of actual reality. Receiving criticism for them, even in the slightest, can be so detrimental. You may never see the extreme sensitivity to the criticism because it is often kept so quiet and hidden from others.
Selfish individuals can be categorized as “narcissists,” especially in this era where everybody should comply to the global community. Narcissists find happiness in feeling superior to other people. The late professor explained how some focus on their own betterment rather than the world’s — dissolving the importance of affiliation (Lemaitre, 2016).
Have you ever been around someone who seems arrogant? It may not be just arrogance, that individual may have a Narcissistic Personality Disorder or NPD. Narcissus, a Greek mythological character, fell in love with his reflection in the water and could never pull himself away, so he ended up dying right beside the water after a while (Marcovitz 1). Narcissism became known as being self-centered and was developed after this Greek myth (Marcovitz 1). This disorder affects less than 1% of the American population and it occurs more in men than women (Thomas 1). Later on in life most people with NPD will experience severe symptoms around the ages of forty or fifty years old (Psych 1). Many people who have this disorder either refuse to get help
Narcissism can be defined as “ a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of ultra confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that 's vulnerable to the slightest criticism” (Narcissistic personality disorder, n.d.). With this disorder people generally are unhappy and disappointed when they are not privileged to special favors or given admiration they believe they deserve. With narcissistic personality disorder problems in many areas of life can arise such as work, school, financial affairs, and relationships.
“Narcissistic Personality Disorder: A Guide to Signs, Diagnosis, and Treatments”, a Psycom article written by Christina Gregory Ph.D., is an article that explains the overall concept of narcissism as a personality disorder as well as its symptoms and causes. The author explains narcissism by explaining that “It is characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, a lack of empathy for others, and a great need for admiration.” Narcissists, who tend to have an indefinite view of self-superiority, typically are not happy or become upset when the people surrounding them are not consistent with their need to feel admiration or praise regularly. These individuals do have an overstated sense of entitlement and self-absorption who tend to belittle the people around them and have trouble giving any credit to anyone else as well as allowing themselves to be social critiques, but they are considered the ones who usually are not able to handle when criticism is bestowed upon them. Narcissism can range from moderate to severe and has the ability to tear down and drain any relationship they try to build as it is unfulfilling to the narcissist and not enjoyable for the potential
Narcissism occurs on a continuum, and everyone thinks narcissistically. The following are examples of some things that may be the result of narcissistic thinking, and can be either spoken or just thought. They may be generated consciously, or subconsciously. If consciously generated, the reason behind them can be found. If generated subconsciously, the reason will be illusive. Subconscious beliefs are responsible for producing the narcissitic idea, and the conscious mind agrees.
Phallic narcissism: When an individual is elitist, a social climber, admiration seeking, self-promoting, bragging and empowered by
Just as children go through their egocentric phase, those that have NPD according the article “Narcissism and Well-Being: A Longitudinal Perspective” by Zuckerman & O 'Loughlin, (2009) states how they become “locked into that stage and never grows out of it”. When a child is allowed to feel overly important, that child will more than likely maintain their infantile mentality of “power [and] control”, thus “hindering Narcissistic characteristics. These children learn to scan and seek out those who can fulfill their narcissistic supply” that demands attention, recognition, and fulfillment.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a mental disorder that is highly perceived to affect the lifestyle of those who suffer from this disorder.It is considered to be an impairment in personality functioning, have the presence of pathological traits, exhibit a lack of empathy for others, display a constant need for admiration and a deep need for excessive attention. Overall, those who are deemed to be narcissistic have an extremely high grandiose sense of importance. This type of personality disorder has some related disorders such as antisocial behaviors, interpersonal exploitation and envy. There has been ongoing discussions on how this type of behavior is processed in the brain. It is not clearly known what causes Narcissistic Personality Disorder, however, as with other mental disorders, the cause is likely very complex. The cause may be linked to a dysfunctional childhood, such as excessive pampering, extremely high expectations, abuse or neglect. This paper will first discuss the history of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, then contemporary theories and perspectives will be explained, and lastly, a survey of recent research of the disorder will be provided. DO INTRO
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is defined as exaggerated significance or importance in a person with constant need of admiration from others near them. Lack of this
A narcissist’s high and mighty characteristics are to cover his signs of weakness. Most narcissists share a few different qualities; attention seeking, pompous, self-serving and egocentric (M. C. DeVries, 2014, pg. 103). Simon, a narcissist, happens to have all of these traits. M. F. and DeVries (2014) say that a narcissist will try to be the first one in power, even if it means looking down onto their coworkers (pg. 103). Many individuals who are narcissists feel that they deserve the best jobs and material objects. This is also the case when it comes to Simon. Simon only accepted his current position because he believed that he deserved a higher level job. Eventually, the CEO position became available at his company. Simon is a potential
Narcissistic personality disorder is one of the many types of personality disorders that affect mental health, in which people desire to be seen and admired more than the average person. Those with narcissistic personality disorder believe they are more relevant or significant than others in society. They believe that due to their superiority in society, they do not need to take into consideration the feelings of others. However, like most people who have an immense amount sense of self importance and self-confidence, they have very little self-esteem and are sensitive to any criticism, regardless of how big or small it is. All of this limits their ability build friendships and relationships within their personal lives and society.
The Adams, Florell, Burton, and Hart, (2014) study presupposed that narcissists appear to have disapproval for social-demeanors customs; additionally, narcissists are more feasible to exaggerate and act antagonistically toward other individuals by use belligerent linguistic. Narcissists are predisposed to break social-manners standards, and the primary reason for this inclination is basically vague (Adams et al, 2014). Narcissists might disrupt social-manners standards as a way of grasping individual’s responsiveness (Adams et al, 2014). In addition, narcissists, for numerous explanations, merely recognize such custom abuses as less invasive con pared to non-narcissists (Adams et al, 2014). There
Narcissism – the American way of thinking and we don't have to look far to find it. Todays celebrities flaunt their oversized egos and “too hot for you” bodies. Access Hollywood thrives on potential celebrity truths and gossip magazines. Society operate under the pleasure principle, accepting nothing less that what we deserve. We buy houses on easy credit with an APR of 18% or higher. Facebook has become a way of expressing ourselves. Clothing has become optional and we question how we got here? Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell, authors of The Narcissism Epidemic, have compiled enticing and compelling evidence for the development of culturally accepted narcissism. According to the two, there are more narcissists than ever; even non–narcissistic people are being seduced by cultural emphasis on material wealth, physical appearance, and celebrity gossip (Twenge & Campbell, 2009, pp. 1–2). Standards have shifted, trapping otherwise humble people into believing societies standards for success. Twenge and Campbell’s book was designed as a wake–up call. The two authors work together to uncover the truth behind societal narcissism, while revealing its long–term consequences.
More often these people are described by others as self-centered, cocky, demanding and manipulative. More often than not, they will preoccupy themselves with feats that are not achievable like fame and at times feel they are worth being treated as famous people even if that is not the case. It is a case that is closely related to antisocial personality, borderline personality disorder as well as histrionic personality disorder (Psychology Today, 2012).