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Greek myths have been preserved in many different forms throughout antiquity. Narcissus was a well-known figure in that mythology.
Narcissus was a figure from Greek mythology who fell in love with himself. He was the progeny of the nymph Liriope and the river god Cephissus.
Narcissus cherished his stunning beauty to the fullest. There was a rumour that his mother, Liriop, had been told by a prophecy that his son would live a long life provided he never recognised himself.
In adulthood, he fell in love with his reflection when he saw it in the river. He developed an obsession and turned down all amorous advances.
Narcissus supposedly rejected the Echo and Ameinias. A mountain nymph named Echo, a mermaid, fell in love with him but was bitterly rejected by Narcissus. Echo was unable to handle that since it was so cruel.
Narcissus rejected her because he was aware of his attractiveness. Ameinias, who was madly in love with him, was likewise rejected by him. He was turned down by Narcissus and given a sword. Ameinias committed suicide because he, too, lost patience with Narcissus' brutality.
Narcissus' obsession with his own image was a punishment from God, and later, when he realised that his love for his reflection prevented him from having his object of desire, he committed suicide.
Later, a clinical condition known as narcissistic personality disorder was named after this mythological figure. Havelock Ellis was the first to identify obsessive self-involvement as a mental disease. The term NPD (Narcissist Personality Disorder) describes a person who is self-obsessed, antisocial, manipulative, and prone to taking others for granted. It is irrelevant how other people feel about them.
In his writing, Frederick Rhodewalt outlined Freud's narcissistic personality theory. He said that Freud had said while narcissism is a normal stage of childhood development, it is a problem when it persists past puberty.
The development of this disease frequently begins at home with the caregiver. When they were little, their caregivers didn't show them that kind of love and devotion; instead, they hurt them. In essence, it occurs when a narcissist is a caregiver.
Unconsciously, a youngster who is forced to live alone and experiences abuse, deprivation, or shame builds a shield for themselves to protect themselves. It functions as trauma. Their caregiver doesn't show them any love. They receive criticism simply for being themselves.
They begin to focus on themselves beyond that point automatically. They require people's love, adoration, and respect no matter what, but the saddest thing is that as they mature, they begin to take everyone for granted, and when they don't receive what they want, they often turn to themselves.
A narcissist obsesses with themselves. Only themselves do they love. They are overly consumed with themselves. Everyone around them is a supply to them, and they are the only ones who understand them. They frequently act like they are kind and compassionate to people, but in reality, they feel nothing since they require constant adoration from their suppliers.
They intentionally harm individuals. They actually take other people for granted because they believe the world revolves around them and that they are entitled to more.
They do not wish to experience other people's emotions. They can't since they only have self-centred thinking skills. Being antisocial is a result of excessive self-love.
People tend to be destroyed by this mental illness. They have no feelings; thus, they have no regret when they harm someone. They endure more psychologically. People get gaslighted for emotional reasons.
Gaslighting is when you blame people for your mistakes, leading them to believe they are at fault. They wear individuals out mentally. They will move on to another individual after they have had their fill of your adulation and lost their allure.
When they are done with you, they will behave so cold, and the victims become confused about what wrong they have done to them.
Actually, the victims did nothing. Narcissists used them. Narcissists' level of self-obsession increases when others make them feel superior, and they want it all the time.
We have seen that self-obsession is unhealthy, from the Greek mythological figure of Narcissus to the real-life mental disease narcissism. We all need to cherish who we are and what we have, but an excessive sense of self can make us arrogant and lifeless.
Narcissus had no regard for anyone. He didn't respect them even when Echo and Ameinias loved him. Simply put, it happened because he was self-obsessed.
When he realised how much everyone liked him, he started feeling overly superior and began to believe that it was normal for him to experience love since he felt so unique.
Narcissism follows the same path. When you are self-centred, you cannot think, and you become lonely like Narcissus ultimately. A narcissist is never satisfied.