Is narcissism a mental illness

Answer 1

No. Narcissism as a disorder starts in childhood. Narcissistic individuals typically have an avoidant attachment style which comes from not being able to depend on your primary caregiver as a baby. Essentially, the baby will cry and not be responded to. Eventually, the baby stops crying and essentially gives up on life. After this happens repeatedly the child start to learn that they have to depend on themselves.

As the child gets older, inconsistent parenting, neglect, and abuse can lead to two types of narcissism. On one hand you can have the child that is spoiled rotten and given the impression the world revolves around them. They become entitled and usually are the grandiose type of narcissists. Then you have the child that is abused and neglected. They are often the kicking horse in the family and from excessive criticism and other emotional abuse they become the vulnerable narcissist.

Narcissists tend to be very competitive and this is because as children they were emotionally starved in some way of love. They come to think of love as attention and they got attention by being the best, being the one focused on, and or beating others. This is why they tend to be so competitive. This being the best is what they equate to love.

As they age through their teens their defense mechanisms stiffen into place and their personality becomes more rigid. By the time they are adults a person's personality is etched in stone. It becomes very difficult to change. Narcisissitc Personaltiy Disorder can only be diagnosed upon adulthood and it can only be diagnosed by a professsonial who specializes in the field.

Narcissism can be looked at as a set of defensive mechanisms that when triggered become very aggressive and attacking. These defense mechanism are in place to prevent them from having to deal with an internal sense of shame that they developed while enduring the abuse as children.

Narcissists have a broken sense of self. When they were young they were often bullied or ridiculed in a way that made them suppress those aspects of themselves that were picked on. They would then project an image of themselves that they believed other people to appreciate so that they could feel that attention. This became known as the false self or the mask that people refer to. Essentially its a view of them with their vulnerabilities and flaws suppressed. Because they have done this they never feel fulfilled, are often depressed, disappointed, and miserable.

Narcissism is a disorder not a disease. It cannot be caught through contact and it can't be spread. It is a set of behaviours that are damaging to relationships but are designed to keep the fragility of the narcissists ego safe.

Answer 2

No, narcissism is not a disease - you can't catch it! It is a mental illness,

Answer 3

Yes it is!