Many classify narcissism as selfishness, self-love, and vanity, and that a narcissist usually longs for appreciation and arousing attention and admiration. The narcissist is usually very ambitious and very confident. To this extent, these personal behaviors are not necessarily satisfactory .. When does narcissism become a disease?
To answer this question, Professor Klaas Heinrich Lammers said: "Narcissism is - to some extent - an expression of the healthy pursuit of self-esteem, and it turns into turmoil, if it leads to the suffering of the person and the people around him."
The German doctor and psychotherapist explained that "a person with narcissistic personality disorder suffers from excessive and unstable appreciation of the self, with an attempt to reach the satisfaction of this feeling by overestimating his competencies and achievements and reducing the achievements, capabilities and value of others."
The biggest problem
For her part, the director of the General Psychiatric Clinic at the University Hospital Heidelberg, Professor Zappenh Herbert, said, "Such behavior inevitably leads to conflict. The narcissist shows little sympathy and concern for others."
And if his desire is not fulfilled, he resorts to criticism or until his condition develops into behaviors of anger, aggression, or belittling others. The problem here lies in the gap between him and his community, which creates a feeling of suffering due to tension and conflict with others. The gap is slowly getting wider between realism on the one hand, and claims and its overestimation of itself on the other.
"The biggest problem here is that patients often have very little awareness of the disease," said Herbert. Often a person with narcissistic personality disorder goes to a psychiatrist only to treat complications such as depression, eating disorders, or addiction. ”
Behavioral strategies
Treatment consists of many procedures, one of which is that patients learn to empathize with others. They should also get new behavioral strategies to help them better coexist with others.
Lammers noted that the treatment in general focuses on what the patient is already missing. Often, excessive self-esteem and the undervaluation of others are "just an alternative gratification." Basically, many only need belonging and feeling safe.
curability
Is this disorder curable? German doctor and psychotherapist Klaas Heinrich Lammers answers this question: "It is essential that a person cannot be changed."
Alternatively, treatment can be done by illuminating and modifying extreme behaviors and ways of thinking, as this contributes to improving the quality of life of the patient on the one hand, and reduces the suffering of his surrounding environment on the other hand.
Zabenh Herberts:
"Behavior that inevitably leads to conflict. The narcissist shows little sympathy for others."
Klaas Heinrich Lammers:
"Narcissism turns into turmoil, if it leads to the suffering of the person and the people around him."
The problem lies in the widening gap between the owner of this disorder and his community, which creates a sense of suffering due to tension.