06 September, 2018 | Jimmy Henks | 872 views

With the availability of social media in present times, there is always a strong urge to live almost our entire lives in front of people in cyberspace. People can definitely not enjoy their bowls of fufu unless they have first posted them onto social media platforms. Some have to show that they are good mothers by capturing their breastfeeding activities and showing it to the virtual world. Others also can’t resist the temptation of showing their “blissful” lives to the virtual world.

I get it. Life is definitely not that easy; mostly things do not come to us on a silver platter and so when one achieves a certain feat in life it is normal to want to share it with friends and loved ones. So it is not bad if people want to share photos and videos of certain aspects of their lives. But this is not what is happening on social media. What we witness on social media these days is an excessive cry for attention as people give minute by minute account of their everyday activities on social media platforms. Some people even do the extreme by staging stuff which they post on social media platforms in order to go viral. This is nothing but narcissism.

However, he only showed them disdain and contempt. One day, while he was hunting in the woods, Echo (a nymph) immediately fell in love with him upon seeing him. Echo approached Narcissus who rejected him. Echo, in despair, roamed around the woods for the rest of her life, and wasted away until all that remained of her was an echo sound.

Nemesis, the goddess of retribution and revenge, decided to punish Narcissus for his behaviour. She led him to a pool, where he saw his reflection in the water and fell in love with it. He later became desperate that his love could not materialise and committed suicide.

Today, anyone who has an excessive interest in or admiration of himself/herself is called a narcissist – after Narcissus the hunter. Narcissism is actually a personality disorder. According to Mayo Clinic, “Narcissistic personality disorder… is a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others.”

Also known as NPD, it comes with other symptoms. People with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) want to be seen as superior even without achievements that warrant it, embellish achievements and talents, are preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate. That’s not all. They also believe they are superior and can only associate with equally special people. They monopolize conversations and look down on people they see as inferior, they expect special favours and unquestioning compliance with such expectations. People with NPD may take advantage of others to get what they want, have an inability or unwillingness to recognise the needs and feelings of others, are envious of others and believe others envy them. They also behave in an arrogant manner, are boastful and pretentious, and insist on having the best of everything.

NPD like every other disorder is not healthy as it can have some negative impacts on one’s physical and mental health as well as social life. Physically, people with NPD may have suicidal ideas, increased risk of abusing drugs or alcohol, aggressive and arrogant behaviour or attitude. Mentally, a person with NPD has low self-esteem, increased feelings of depression or anxiety, hypersensitivity to insults or criticism, and lacks interpersonal skills. Socially, people with NPD are unable to maintain or initiate relationships. They have decreased performance at work or school, and withdraw from loved ones. They also lack meaningful relationships as a result of their demeaning attitude towards others.

People with NPD need help. So let’s all examine ourselves to see if we have NDP or not and seek medical help if need be. If you think someone might have NPD, advise him/her to seek medical attention.