Narcissism - a Psychological Disease

Raise the ego to such height prior to each affluence
God self ask to His slave what is his acquiescence

Having read out the above verse of the great poet of East Allama Iqbal one such aspect comes ahead, which is free from proud, bigheaded and arrogant. It is the destination of self identification which is self-centricity, self-conquering and self-made. According to Poet Iqbal:
If ego is self-centricity, self-conquering and self made
It is possible that even death could not make man fade

For understanding the meaning of conceit (ego) when we study the science of Psychology there we find the terminology “Narcissism” the basic meaning of which is self-absorption or self-centeredness. Psychologists are of the view that the healthy elements of self-praising or self-loved are existed in each man naturally viz self-confidence and self-respect which are considered sound human characteristics because it is the healthy shape of Narcissism. It is related to self-respect or ego. Self-conquering viz positive building of self-personality the foundation of which is not laid down upon the destruction of others – self-analyzing viz the comprehension of self-weaknesses and strengths which is also known as self-recognition and self-control meaning to control the ill-desires implies to save one from vital and downfall attitudes. All these fundamentals are the basic essence of the dynamic society and relation of these senses of the character is also related to ego of individual.

One segment of ego is Narcissism. The Narcissism generally a name of disease in psychology and this disease is attributed to primitive mythology story of Greek – the central role of which is NARSIS who was very handsome. He was indifferent to his lovers and his surroundings. He became so worshiper to elegant by virtue of constant praising of his beauty that one day having seen his reflection in the water engulfed as lover of himself. Day and night saw on his reflection – did not drink even in fall out condition owing to appetite and thirst because he was frightened that beautiful reflection would be broken by flooding water and attractiveness of his shape would scatter into thousands pieces. He deteriorated on physically and mentally due to non use of food and water at last he succumbed to thirst and appetite. In a myth statement it has been told that Deity made him a flower of NARCISSUS that is why the self-loving has been named “Narcissism”.

Narcissism is attributed to such condition which must be healed up because it is the disease of personality which may become vital issues in the organizational, social and domestic affairs. The victims of this disease may become cause of destruction and pain in the surrounding world and the most dangerous element of this disease is that the patient does never believe to be patient. He meticulously defenses himself and tries to prove those people as jealous or bad temperaments who want to treat him. Therefore for the treatment of such patient the relatives and friends at last have to make appropriate measures. When individual narcissism is gathered to collective edge it leads to disturbance, upheavals and conflicts in the world. Like individual’s narcissism the collective or ethical narcissism becomes cause of tension and anguish in the local and international organizations leading to encounter also prevents the way of collective growth of human brotherhood.

Here first we submit analysis of research work made on individual narcissism. This research is made for the solution of the issues developed in the multi-national companies and the other giant business or administrative organizations which are emerged due to narcissism of powerful and important individuals. For example unbounded self-loving and assaulting ego of any person produces such obstruction and confusion in the collective efficiency of any organization owing to which the entity faces losses. Whereas the concerned individual does not feel any sense of guilty neither he accepts his faults when pointed out by some-one. There is a unanimously opinion of experts regarding such people that only treatment for them is by using collective and harsh criticism upon them. Their hands are tied up and their lips are shut up through which they harm and hurt the organization.

It is the quotation of Dr. Dewd Thamas that the recognition of narcissism patients is difficult because of they protect their ego to each motion through their pretending and acting approach and keep an artificial identification before the world. Therefore the patients of narcissistic have become the master of cheating and deceiving but their identification is vital essential because they hurt the creative efficiency of organization with their negative attitudes and approaches.

A writer named Mubarak Haider in his book “Civilized Narcissism” has declared the following features considerable by taking benefit from research works made by different experts on the subject :-

1) A common person considers himself faulty in case he fails on the other hand the self-loved person (patients of narcissistic) pulls out his failure from his essence viz blames to others. Such person feels to failure as cursing and by making failure as shameful has intention to dilute it to his psychology therefore this shameful deed viz self-failure by removing it at all cost from himself and put it upon someone as he considers it an appropriate act. However off and on when a self-loved person considers his status above all and he does not feel any cracks in his status so it may possible that he accepts the responsibility of failure. However in this way also the passion of superiority of his good ethics upon other is given priority and before accepting his responsibility of failure ensures it that fruit of it will emerge in his favor in the shape of praising and admiring.

2) When the ego of self-loved person is in danger he reacts more emotionally than a healthy man even he demonstrates the rage and anger. When in the result of encountering analysis he is less awarded against others he manifests more anger and agitation against a common man. Actually the up and down of his temperament is related to this act that what news comes up about him in social interaction & encountering i.e. if praising occurred makes proud over it and if he is declared at lower category he becomes out-rage or in compulsion becomes the victim of oppression.

3) It is not possible to self-loved person that he could give priority to collective needs t against self-need. He is free from the passion of sympathy and empathy. For example if he asks about soundness or health of anyone it is bound to traditional habit and demonstration of pretending good manner prevailing in the society. In fact he is careless about welfare of mankind.

4) Denial from thankfulness and repentance is a fair cunningness of a self-loved person through which he protects his insight, superiority and greatness. It means that if he has to repent upon his fault or has to make obliged and thankfulness of others’ kindness he feels his insult. Therefore in a meeting if he comes late he says that he was kept engaged in talking by someone so he observed late or if he gets loss in business he attributes it the gambling of international investors or his partners discredibility and disability etc.

5) Proudness, self-demonstration, haughtiness, and skill-full selfishness these are the characteristics of self-loved personality demonstration of which he makes sometimes openly or sometimes in a covertly manner or unambiguous words or sometimes in meticulously way. He is eager to be praised and applauded. The apparent points of personality conduct of a self-loved person are: Degrading characters of others, self-demonstration or becomes out-rage. Sometimes he speaks up about his counterpart or learned personality that they envy or malice him or make conspiracy against him. Such blame he sometimes imposes openly or sometimes in non-understandable words and sometimes in handy way.

6) Whether in his talking self-demonstration is being seen clearly yet also the self-praised patient tries to keep the effect of his importance in such a way that it was not his purpose to expose himself. For example meeting with a big personality was an ordinary matter if not an ordinary matter for some-one but it should not be told in boosting way or Mr. XYZ came to his home for dinner etc. There are two purpose of this talking one to keep a separating boundary with a listening person and the 2nd is to fix prestige and fear of his better status upon others.

Psychologist Dr. Dewd Thomas has described brief features of self-loved people on his Ph.D Profile:-
i) When a self-loved person entrusts any work to others he keeps on interfere in its operations of tiny nature and details. If this task is accomplished by safe and sound he takes the credit of its accomplishment but on the other hand if the work is deteriorated or failed he transfers the blame on the head to whom the work was assigned.

ii) When anybody shares him in respect of work he must be remembered that the major part of the work he would have to accomplish self.

iii) In each work relating to self-loved people there is indifferent (un-connectivity) with the passion of others. For example for demonstration of their formal morals (ethics) and self good virtue asking about welfare of someone in which they have no interest at all.

iv) All their behaviors and thoughts are borrowed from others viz these people make imitation of others’ people behavior and thinking to whom they admit figure-personality or certified character. It is called to follow the reflection or mirroring. Actually by following the big figures feel themselves great personalities.

v) In consequent to indifferent attitudes in respect of others’ problems and feelings they are accustomed to strike out the talking of others and haste to make listening. They only listen to others with a view what is to be answered about to asked matter. Therefore their act of teaching is limited and their knowledge is overlapped through proud.

vi) If they are ensured that they are not arrested or brought to book they not refrain or avoid in making corruption and fraud.

vii) According to their view they are exempted to follow rules and regulations for accomplishing any task.

viii) They are not ready to take small and tiny works and put its responsibility to others’ shoulders because in their opinion to waste time in tiny and petty jobs is not synonymous to their personalities.

ix) When the subject matter of any discussion are they themselves they listen carefully in a stagnant way and never obstruct and interfere in the talking and neither are tired. But if the subject matter is other than they or such issue is under debate in which they are not called for or remembered they feel uneasiness / troubles during discussion and have become indifferent.

x) The mental and psychological stress is increased on the people who work with self-loved people i.e. Narcissist People. Accordingly in those organization or institutions where they are empowered the tendency of absenteeism by employees and office bearers is increased. The place where they are in subordination or subjective position they remain in a conflict position with their colleagues or have become victims to the feeling of oppression.

Written by: Mohsin Hussain Qureshi in Urdu Version, working in State Bank of Pakistan, Karachi as Officer ACD.
Translated by: Syed Manazir-ul-Haq, Assistant Director, State Bank of Pakistan, Karachi