1 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:08,681 Way before the first selfie, 2 00:00:08,681 --> 00:00:10,883 the ancient Greeks and Romans had a myth 3 00:00:10,883 --> 00:00:14,604 about someone a little too obsessed with his own image. 4 00:00:14,605 --> 00:00:15,895 In one telling, 5 00:00:15,895 --> 00:00:20,779 Narcissus was a handsome guy wandering the world in search of someone to love. 6 00:00:20,779 --> 00:00:23,235 After rejecting a nymph named Echo, 7 00:00:23,235 --> 00:00:26,709 he caught a glimpse of his own reflection in a river, 8 00:00:26,709 --> 00:00:28,511 and fell in love with it. 9 00:00:28,511 --> 00:00:30,116 Unable to tear himself away, 10 00:00:30,116 --> 00:00:31,944 Narcissus drowned. 11 00:00:31,944 --> 00:00:37,40 A flower marked the spot of where he died, and we call that flower the Narcissus. 12 00:00:37,40 --> 00:00:40,391 The myth captures the basic idea of narcissism, 13 00:00:40,391 --> 00:00:44,180 elevated and sometimes detrimental self-involvement. 14 00:00:44,180 --> 00:00:48,274 But it's not just a personality type that shows up in advice columns. 15 00:00:48,274 --> 00:00:52,966 It's actually a set of traits classified and studied by psychologists. 16 00:00:52,966 --> 00:00:58,772 The psychological definition of narcissism is an inflated, grandiose self-image. 17 00:00:58,772 --> 00:01:02,119 To varying degrees, narcissists think they're better looking, 18 00:01:02,119 --> 00:01:02,973 smarter, 19 00:01:02,973 --> 00:01:05,233 and more important than other people, 20 00:01:05,233 --> 00:01:08,11 and that they deserve special treatment. 21 00:01:08,11 --> 00:01:12,767 Psychologists recognize two forms of narcissism as a personality trait: 22 00:01:12,767 --> 00:01:15,889 grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. 23 00:01:15,889 --> 00:01:18,405 There's also narcissistic personality disorder, 24 00:01:18,406 --> 00:01:22,66 a more extreme form, which we'll return to shortly. 25 00:01:22,66 --> 00:01:25,801 Grandiose narcissism is the most familiar kind, 26 00:01:25,801 --> 00:01:27,789 characterized by extroversion, 27 00:01:27,789 --> 00:01:28,956 dominance, 28 00:01:28,956 --> 00:01:30,531 and attention seeking. 29 00:01:30,531 --> 00:01:33,812 Grandiose narcissists pursue attention and power, 30 00:01:33,812 --> 00:01:35,457 sometimes as politicians, 31 00:01:35,457 --> 00:01:36,457 celebrities, 32 00:01:36,457 --> 00:01:38,289 or cultural leaders. 33 00:01:38,290 --> 00:01:42,636 Of course, not everyone who pursues these positions of power is narcissistic. 34 00:01:42,636 --> 00:01:44,405 Many do it for very positive reasons, 35 00:01:44,406 --> 00:01:46,82 like reaching their full potential, 36 00:01:46,82 --> 00:01:48,491 or helping make people's lives better. 37 00:01:48,491 --> 00:01:50,777 But narcissistic individuals seek power 38 00:01:50,777 --> 00:01:53,773 for the status and attention that goes with it. 39 00:01:53,773 --> 00:01:57,919 Meanwhile, vulnerable narcissists can be quiet and reserved. 40 00:01:57,919 --> 00:01:59,833 They have a strong sense of entitlement, 41 00:01:59,833 --> 00:02:02,792 but are easily threatened or slighted. 42 00:02:02,793 --> 00:02:07,61 In either case, the dark side of narcissism shows up over the long term. 43 00:02:07,61 --> 00:02:09,991 Narcissists tend to act selfishly, 44 00:02:09,991 --> 00:02:14,376 so narcissistic leaders may make risky or unethical decisions, 45 00:02:14,376 --> 00:02:19,144 and narcissistic partners may be dishonest or unfaithful. 46 00:02:19,144 --> 00:02:21,680 When their rosy view of themselves is challenged, 47 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,223 they can become resentful and aggressive. 48 00:02:24,223 --> 00:02:27,184 It's like a disease where the sufferers feel pretty good, 49 00:02:27,184 --> 00:02:29,505 but the people around them suffer. 50 00:02:29,505 --> 00:02:30,918 Taken to the extreme, 51 00:02:30,918 --> 00:02:34,208 this behavior is classified as a psychological disorder 52 00:02:34,208 --> 00:02:36,964 called narcissistic personality disorder. 53 00:02:36,964 --> 00:02:39,927 It affects one to two percent of the population, 54 00:02:39,927 --> 00:02:41,506 more commonly men. 55 00:02:41,506 --> 00:02:44,664 It is also a diagnosis reserved for adults. 56 00:02:44,664 --> 00:02:48,144 Young people, especially children, can be very self-centered, 57 00:02:48,145 --> 00:02:51,491 but this might just be a normal part of development. 58 00:02:51,491 --> 00:02:54,772 The fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's 59 00:02:54,772 --> 00:02:57,310 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 60 00:02:57,311 --> 00:03:01,858 describes several traits associated with narcissistic personality disorder. 61 00:03:01,858 --> 00:03:04,778 They include a grandiose view of oneself, 62 00:03:04,778 --> 00:03:06,156 problems with empathy, 63 00:03:06,157 --> 00:03:07,773 a sense of entitlement, 64 00:03:07,773 --> 00:03:10,804 and a need for admiration or attention. 65 00:03:10,804 --> 00:03:13,542 What makes these trait a true personality disorder 66 00:03:13,542 --> 00:03:17,889 is that they take over people's lives and cause significant problems. 67 00:03:17,889 --> 00:03:21,97 Imagine that instead of caring for your spouse or children, 68 00:03:21,97 --> 00:03:24,429 you used them as a source of attention or admiration. 69 00:03:24,429 --> 00:03:26,102 Or imagine that instead of seeking 70 00:03:26,102 --> 00:03:28,408 constructive feedback about your performance, 71 00:03:28,408 --> 00:03:30,797 you instead told everyone who tried to help you 72 00:03:30,797 --> 00:03:32,908 that they were wrong. 73 00:03:32,908 --> 00:03:35,230 So what causes narcissism? 74 00:03:35,230 --> 00:03:37,969 Twin studies show a strong genetic component, 75 00:03:37,969 --> 00:03:41,23 although we don't know which genes are involved. 76 00:03:41,23 --> 00:03:42,895 But environment matters, too. 77 00:03:42,895 --> 00:03:45,240 Parents who put their child on a pedestal 78 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:47,789 can foster grandiose narcissism. 79 00:03:47,789 --> 00:03:53,49 And cold, controlling parents can contribute to vulnerable narcissism. 80 00:03:53,50 --> 00:03:55,259 Narcissism also seems to be higher 81 00:03:55,259 --> 00:03:59,428 in cultures that value individuality and self-promotion. 82 00:03:59,429 --> 00:04:01,170 In the United States, for example, 83 00:04:01,170 --> 00:04:05,902 narcissism as a personality trait has been rising since the 1970s, 84 00:04:05,902 --> 00:04:07,991 when the communal focus of the 60s 85 00:04:07,991 --> 00:04:10,150 gave way to the self-esteem movement 86 00:04:10,150 --> 00:04:12,633 and a rise in materialism. 87 00:04:12,633 --> 00:04:17,78 More recently, social media has multiplied the possibilities for self-promotion, 88 00:04:17,77 --> 00:04:18,370 though it's worth noting 89 00:04:18,370 --> 00:04:22,191 that there's no clear evidence that social media causes narcissism. 90 00:04:22,191 --> 00:04:27,763 Rather, it provides narcissists a means to seek social status and attention. 91 00:04:27,764 --> 00:04:31,235 So can narcissists improve on those negative traits? 92 00:04:31,235 --> 00:04:32,474 Yes! 93 00:04:32,474 --> 00:04:35,450 Anything that promotes honest reflection on their own behavior 94 00:04:35,450 --> 00:04:37,104 and caring for others, 95 00:04:37,104 --> 00:04:42,116 like psychotherapy or practicing compassion towards others, can be helpful. 96 00:04:42,116 --> 00:04:44,171 The difficulty is it can be challenging 97 00:04:44,172 --> 00:04:46,712 for people with narcissistic personality disorder 98 00:04:46,712 --> 00:04:48,911 to keep working at self-betterment. 99 00:04:48,911 --> 00:04:53,763 For a narcissist, self-reflection is hard from an unflattering angle.