Michael would constantly talk about himself, and he would even interrupt someone if that person were talking about his/her own accomplishments. DSM IV (APA, 1994) describes narcissists, among other things, as "people who believe that others are envious of them, yet they are envious of others." Michael portrayed a profound sense of jealousy if anyone boasted of what they had accomplished, as well as, anger, hatred, and embarrassment due to a teacher reprimanding him. It is most evidently obvious that my personal experiences with the young Michael Daneuser will stand as my personal knowledge of narcissism. Michael will from hereon be my model for understanding discussing narcissism and how it manifests itself in the social arena.
The origin of the terms "narcissism" or "narcissist" is derived from Narcissus, the name of a young man described in an ancient myth who fell deeply in love with his own image (Berry, 1985). Narcissus found himself admiring his own reflection in a woodland pool of water. Perhaps this is one of the best examples of narcissism at its paramount and it certainly grasps at the foundation of narcissism: self love. The story of Narcissus is one of tragic dimensions because it tells of someone who longs for communication, intimacy, self-esteem, and affirmation from others yet received these things in a futile effort from himself only.
Many people have narcissistic traits, but few people have a truly pathological personality disorder, although numbers are rising. C.M. Berry (1985) describes the pathological narcissistic personality as a "triad made up of pathological self-centeredness; a repeated pattern of frustrating, damaging efforts to establish intimate relationships; and an insecure, fragile self-concept." Kernberg's conception of narcissism (Ruiz, 2001) involves "an egocentric dependence on positive and consistently reinforcing social relations." Those people with high levels of narcissism are overly sensitive and perceive "everyday" statements as threats to their ego and their self-esteem (Kernberg, 1975).
