Narcissus in Greek Mythology - Article Example

The Greek myth is that it is unlucky and even fatal to look in the mirror or water to see one’s reflection or features. Narcissism is the term used by psychologists and psychiatrists to describe a disorder in which one is self-obsessed or is suffering from a high sense of worth or emotionally juvenile behavior.

Otto Rank was the Austrian psychoanalyst who initially described narcissism in 1911 in his psychoanalytic papers. He described this behavior as self-approval, overconfidence, and pride which creates a bad impact on the person’s work and family relationships. The idea as presented by Otto Rank in his work relates to Greek mythology and relates to extreme arrogance, self-esteem, and love for one’s self. Rank describes narcissism as “vanity and self-admiration…narcissistic individuals tend to need others to feel connected and to bask in the glow of strong and powerful people” (Campbell and Mirror 4). Rank, like Freud, considered pretentiousness as a mechanism that an individual uses to feel superior to others.

Sigmund Freud introduced the term narcissism before he published his paper titled On Narcissism: An Introduction in 1914c. Freud’s theory states that when a child is born, his mind is blank without any sense of self (Quinodoz 128). As he grows older and interacts with society, his mind grasps knowledge and ideas that inculcate in him the sense of ego. His cultural and personal experiences make him learn a sense of self-worth and this boosts his egoistic sagacity which strives to attain that perfect reflection that the society around him expects him to be.

Freud called it primary narcissism and considered as a very normal instinct that the human psyche must adopt to enable the person to survive. He also discussed in his work the diminished primary narcissism which a person experiences when he gives away his love to somebody else. This robs him of his ability to secure his sense of self. Hence, it becomes necessary that love is given in exchange for love so that the sense of self is maintained. Freud in his work related four ideas of narcissism: “narcissism as sexual perversion; narcissism as a stage in development; narcissism as libidinal cathexis of the ego; and narcissism as object-choice” (International Dictionary of Psychoanalysis). Read More