Is a person born or becomes narcissistic? This is a question that many often ask themselves given the impact that narcissists have on our society, but we know that narcissistic personality disorder affects only 1% of the population, however, there are subtypes and different types that would define a much larger number of men and women What does science say about it?
An air of superiority, manipulation, little empathy, superb behavior, the need to be admired?Most of us know firsthand this constellation of characteristics that mark the narcissistic profile.
- Bosses.
- Colleagues.
- Friends and even a loving couple? Living with a narcissist can be very harmful.
- And surviving him.
- Trying to page after being wounded.
- Involves healing different wounds.
Dr. Theodore Millon, a pioneer in personality study, has been saying for some time that this kind of behavior could increase in our society over time.
He also indicated that fewer and fewer harmful narcissists, with prosocial narcissists being the most adaptable, on the contrary, antisocials would show greater arrogance, aggression, which posed a social risk to others.
Now, why did Dr. Millon say in his book about modern personality disorders that the number of narcissists would increase in the future, is it for genetic reasons?Or maybe it’s the environment that ends up creating this kind of harmful behavior?Let’s look at some of the questions below.
Faced with the question that a person is born or becomes narcissistic, science has a very clear answer: it becomes. Education and the social context of children have been suspected for decades to influence the emergence of this profile, however, over time, it seems that we understand a little more than the dynamics, situations and circumstances play an important role in the process.
To begin with, throughout the twentieth century it was believed that a style of poor parenting, without proximity, without attachment and without security, led the child to develop narcissistic feelings, it is psychoanalysis that, in a way, has led us to believe that those who have not received love in childhood seek in adulthood the reinforcement of others and want to focus all eyes , affections and admiration in his own person.
Now, Dr. Eddie Brummelmah and his team at the University of Utrecht have conducted an interesting scientific experiment in which they have demonstrated something very different, it is not the lack of paternal love that generates narcissistic behaviors, on the contrary, overprotection, excessive consent and lack of limits make the child believe that he is above all else.
This type of education places the child on a pedestal where he assumes that he is a being with exclusive rights, a privileged creature, in addition, this research has also shown that it is already possible to measure and observe narcissistic behavior in a child between the age of 7 and 12 at that time, when the sense of self and the perception of seeing himself as a very special child , the person comes to believe that he deserves more than others.
Most society thinks that narcissists are the product of the environment, in this sense, controversy often arises for putting all responsibility on the shoulders of the parents of narcissists.
Psychologist W. Keith Campbell has written a very interesting book entitled The Epidemic of Narcissism: Living in the Age of Law. It is very convenient to understand first of all that narcissism is in fact a spectrum. There will be people who have only one, narcissistic trait and others who will have all the characteristics and will be part of that 1% that defines narcissistic personality disorder.
It is important to understand that it not only influences the family, but also society, which educates and shapes us. In recent years the cult of “I” has increased, the constant search for tastes to strengthen the ego and the self. Many of these problems create fertile ground to create narcissists, alarmingly often.
Let’s be clear, narcissists are not happy people, not only do they create suffering to others, but they are always dissatisfied with people who abuse themselves at one time or another out of their own frustration.
In conclusion, when asked whether a person is born this way or becomes narcissistic, science and we all know the answer. Therefore, let us try to adequately educate all new generations. Empathy, respect and self-denial will always be good dimensions to begin with.