N is for Narcissism

Narcissus by Caravaggio
I have read that narcissism is at epidemic levels in western culture, and I am not sure what that means exactly. We're a selfish society? Yeah, well, who can argue with that?

From Wikipedia:

Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in one's physical appearance and an excessive pre-occupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others.

The most common symptoms include:

Being overly boastful, exaggerating one’s own achievementsPretending to be superior to othersLack of empathy for othersLooking down on others as inferiorMonopolizing conversationsImpatient, angry, unhappy, depressed or has mood swings when criticizedEasily disappointed when expected importance is not givenAlways craves for “the best” in everythingHas a very fragile self-esteem
I don't know about you, but that sounds like an antagonist waiting to happen! 














Note to self: Read this book. The Narcissism Epidemic