narcissism

narcissism
1. A state in which one interprets and regards everything in relation to oneself and not to other persons or things. 2. Self-love, which may include sexual attraction toward onself. SEE ALSO: autoeroticism. SYN: self-love. [Narkissos, G. myth. char.]
- primary n. in psychoanalysis, the original psychic energy embodied or invested in the ego.
- secondary n. in psychoanalysis, the psychic energy once attached to external objects, but now withdrawn from those objects and reinvested in the ego.

* * *

nar·cis·sism 'när-sə-.siz-əm n
1) love of or sexual desire for one's own body
2) the state or stage of development in psychoanalytic theory in which there is considerable erotic interest in one's own body and ego and which in abnormal forms persists through fixation or reappears through regression

* * *

n.
an excessive involvement with oneself and one's self-importance. In Freudian terms it is a state in which the ego has taken itself as a love object. Some degree of narcissism is present in most individuals, but when it is shown to an extreme degree it may be a symptom of schizophrenia, personality disorder, or other conditions.
• narcissistic adj.

* * *

nar·cis·sism (nahrґsĭ-siz-əm) [from Narcissus, a character in Greek mythology who fell in love with his own image reflected in water] dominant interest in oneself; self-love; the state in which the ego is invested in oneself, rather than in another person. narcissistic adj

Medical dictionary. 2011.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • narcissism — arcissism n. An exceptional interest in and admiration for oneself. Syn: self love, narcism. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • narcissism — index pride Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • narcissism — (n.) 1905, from Ger. Narzissismus, coined 1899 (in Die sexuellen Perversitäten ), by German psychiatrist Paul Näcke (1851 1913), on a comparison suggested 1898 by Havelock Ellis, from Gk. Narkissos, name of a beautiful youth in mythology (Ovid,… …   Etymology dictionary

  • narcissism — ► NOUN ▪ excessive or erotic interest in oneself and one s physical appearance. DERIVATIVES narcissist noun narcissistic adjective. ORIGIN from Narcissus, a beautiful youth in Greek mythology who fell in love with his reflection in a pool …   English terms dictionary

  • narcissism — [när′sə siz΄əm; ] chiefly Brit [, när sis′iz΄əm] n. [Ger Narzissismus (< Narziss, NARCISSUS) + ismus, ISM] 1. self love; interest, often excessive interest, in one s own appearance, comfort, importance, abilities, etc. 2. Psychoanalysis arrest …   English World dictionary

  • Narcissism — Narcissus by Caravaggio (Galleria Nazionale d Arte Antica, Rome) Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory, a mental illness, a social or cultural… …   Wikipedia

  • Narcissism —    The Greek myth of Narcissus, the god who destroyed himself by gazing continuously at his own image reflected in the pool, speaks so powerfully to the human condition that the concept of narcissism lay easily available for discovery. And during …   Historical dictionary of Psychiatry

  • narcissism — Used in everyday life to indicate self love and egoism, the concept has a more technical meaning to orthodox psychoanalytic theory. Primary narcissism refers to the love of self which, Freud argues, must precede the ability to love others. This… …   Dictionary of sociology

  • narcissism — narcissist, narcist, n. narcissistic, narcistic, adj. /nahr seuh siz em/, n. 1. inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self love; vanity. 2. Psychoanal. erotic gratification derived from admiration of one s own physical or mental… …   Universalium

  • narcissism — [[t]nɑ͟ː(r)sɪsɪzəm[/t]] N UNCOUNT (disapproval) Narcissism is the habit of always thinking about yourself and admiring yourself. [FORMAL] Those who suffer from narcissism become self absorbed or chronic show offs. Syn: self love …   English dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”