We all need a bit more narcissism
mentally tougher and have lower rates of depression and stress than humbler peers.
The reason being is people with narcissistic personality disorder are driven by the belief they deserve the best in life.
Getting what they want builds their mental toughness and they’re rarely down because they believe they are supreme.
Of course, narcissism also has negative consequences. Other
Clockwise from left, Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Conor Mcgregor
research suggests those with it are destructive and volatile, especially in positions of power.
If you live with one, you’ll know the traits – an exaggerated sense of self-importance and superiority complex, even without achieving anything of note.
Inflating their own achievements is the norm.
A classic narcissistic Trump moment was when he recently acted miffed when he wasn’t credited for warning the then government to take out Osama bin Laden. The US president last week claimed he made the claim in his January 2000 book The America We Deserve – and didn’t receive kudos.
He quoted a line to reporters: “There is somebody named Osama bin Laden. You better kill him or take him out. He’s big trouble.”
Trump made a similar statement in a speech as a presidential candidate in Virginia in 2015.
Thing is, he did write about bin Laden in his book – but he did not, in fact, suggest he be killed.
Other classic narcissistic qualities are preoccupations with fantasies about success, power, brilliance or beauty.
They believe they are superior and can only be understood by – or associate with – equally special people. They often take advantage of others to get what they want and lack empathy, having an inability to recognise the needs of others.
I noticed in my own dealings with my former boyfriend he required constant admiration – and plamausing him seemed to be the only way to stay on his good side. But while we deem narcissists monsters, it is a personality disorder.
We don’t deride people with disorders such as bi-polar – rather, we empathise with them and get them help. Maybe it’s time we realised that narcissists can’t control their ego.
Despite their over-inflated sense of self, they are succeeding and rising to the top.
I was told years ago presenting on radio that I should inflate my ego slightly in order to be a better broadcaster.
Most of us who went to convent schools were told not to get too big for our boots and as a result we have an inbuilt tendency to put ourselves down.
We could all take a leaf out of the narcissists’ book and big ourselves up just a bit.
Because without a little slice of narcissism, we’ll just get left behind in a climate where over-confidence is now becoming the new world order.