Character Stereotypes: The Narcissist

Narcissists get their name from the Greek myth about Narcissus, a man renowned for his beauty. Myths state he was cruel and disdained people who loved him. As divine punishment, he falls in love with a reflection in a pool, not realizing it is his own reflection. He dies there, unable to leave the beautiful image.

But narcissism, like many other character flaws, operates on a continuum. At one end, you have people with the clinical diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). These people want to be the center of attention and feel entitled to first-class upgrades, backstage passes, and half-court seats. They are self-absorbed and believe themselves to be invulnerable, almost as if bad things will bounce off them like they were Superman or Wonder Woman. They usually aren’t anxious or depressed, and rarely feel overwhelmed with stress.

Then there’s narcissism on a subclinical level. These people have a healthy ego that might be at times too large for those around them—the guy who thinks girls are fighting over him when he’s not looking and the girl who would genuinely say that a Victoria’s Secret model has nothing on her.

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