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Narcissism can help kids’ self-worth

NARCISSISM has become a buzz word of late with the millennial generation often criticised for its “me, me, me” mentality.

But with studies indicating more youngsters than ever believe “they are better than everybody else”, researchers at Belfast’s Queen’s University have revealed low-level narcissism could have benefits.

An international study of 340 teenagers indicated a heightened sense of self-worth led to children performing better at school by making them more “motivated, assertive and successful”. Dr Kostas Papageorgiou from QUB’S School of Psychology said: “If you are a narcissist you believe strongly that you are better than anyone else and that you deserve reward.

“Being confident in your own abilities is one of the key signs of narcissism and is also at the core of mental toughness.

“If a person is mentally tough, they are likely to embrace challenges and see these as an opportunity for personal growth.

“People are very keen to use the word narcissism to describe something negative but that is nonsensical.

“If an individual scores high on mental toughness this means they can perform at their very best in pressured situations.”

Dr Papageorgiou emphasised there is a difference between those with fully-blown narcissistic personality disorder and those with traits.

However, he said both share elements of “grandiosity, entitlement, dominance and superiority.” He added: “Someone with traits might think they are better than everybody else whereas with the personality disorder, you might think you are God.

“But society is changing and the focus is moving away from collective values to individuals. Perhaps we should expand conventional social morality to include and celebrate all expressions of human nature.”

BELFAST YESTERDAY

CONFIDENCE The younger generation may be more assertive