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Current time: December 24, 2024, 10:56 pm

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Question about Narcissism
#1
Question about Narcissism
I just saw a YouTube video asking the question of Sarah Palin is a narcissist. The answer to me is obviously a "yes" but it made me think of a real life case I might know of. I did manage to have one Christian friend in my lifetime, now a former friend. His behavior which ultimately led to the breakdown of our friendship fit well with the symptoms of narcissism (including the minor telltale signs), behavior which he didn't display during our college years. He really seemed to deteriorate badly, becoming a very toxic individual in the last few years I knew him, when he moved to my home town.

For those who have a psychology background, can you tell me if narcissism is something that can develop over time or does it have to be part of their nature early on?
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#2
RE: Question about Narcissism
Like mental illness, one can be structurally or environmentally predisposed to it or manage to develop it de novo.

Honestly, one can drive oneself crazy, moving from logical John Q. to batshit-insane John Birch-worshipping Fumbles McCrazy.
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#3
RE: Question about Narcissism
Well, this is the classic nature vs. nurture debate, and narcissistic behaviour is of course on a spectrum. But there does seem to be a significant genetic component:

http://www.news-medical.net/health/Herit...ssism.aspx

Quote: Livesley et. al.: Of the eighteen personality dimensions, narcissism was found to have the highest heritability (0.64), indicating that the concordance of this trait in the identical twins was significantly influenced by genetics. Of the other dimensions of personality, only four were found to have heritability coefficients of greater than 0.5: callousness, identity problems, oppositionality and social avoidance.

I suspect that experience also has a substantial impact on this personality trait, with narcissistic adults compensating for childhood dismissal and neglect of their emotional needs, or responding to a situation like fame/celebrity in an extreme way. We all need a healthy level of self-esteem to function optimally; too low or too high, and there can be some serious issues.
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#4
RE: Question about Narcissism
It certainly can't be environment. My upbringing was awful, but I'm still bloody brilliant in every way.
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