Every child is different; some of them are shy and reserved and may be beaten at school, others tend to be more conservative but still able to assert themselves, and some of them defend their interests and are not afraid of confrontation, and they are often called “leaders” and they are seen as leaders, but they are not All of them seem strong; A small proportion – about 0.4% – of them are attributed to narcissism, and identifying them is not always easy.
It should be noted that there are very few studies that clearly define narcissism and its scientific origin. As for Sigmund Freud, the concept of narcissism was part of normal human development.
Is self-love a disease?
A little self-love is not a disease. On the contrary, it can help us exploit our abilities and achieve our goals. It encourages us to outperform others.
Some assertiveness is important in sports and professional life, but if there is a lack of respect or harming another person to achieve goals, this is no longer related to healthy ambition, and a lack of empathy may be one of the reasons, and this is the first important indicator of narcissism.
Does narcissism differ between males and females?
Narcissism always appears in childhood or adolescence, and male narcissists are more than females, yet it is difficult to identify a female narcissist. This is because they do not put their personality above others, but sometimes they use different strategies, and women are often more introverted and less ostentatious in their behavior, but the underlying disorder is the same and so are the consequences.
How does narcissism arise in children?
A study was conducted to find out the causes of narcissism in children at the University of Amsterdam. 565 children and their parents were interviewed separately several times over 18 months. The main questions asked were about self-image and how parents see their children; For example, the children had to indicate the extent to which parents allow their children to feel loved, and the parents were asked how strongly they let their children feel loved.
Another example is; The child must explain how he sees himself compared to other children, with a mention of the reason. Is it because he’s smarter, or because he feels important in class? Parents should indicate how smart their child is about others, or the role model the child represents in the class.
Family warmth and narcissism in children:
The study found that children who lived within the warm affection of their parents had greater self-esteem, and if this warmth was missing, the study showed that these children did not have a strong sense of self-worth.
Who does not like to hear praise and feel appreciated and affirmed? Parents should not be stingy with praise and appreciation, but they should convey this to the child in a way that does not make him expect to see this “like” from all the people he meets.
Is there a definitive explanation for how narcissism develops in children?
There is no definitive explanation for how narcissism develops, and experts argue that the narcissist develops his authoritarian behavior through external influences because he has not learned to develop a healthy personality that accepts criticism.
The pivotal role of parents in the emergence of narcissism in children:
Self-esteem collapses in children who live in the shadow of unemotional, indifferent, or aggressive parents. The child protects himself through anger and resentment and tries to elicit parents’ appreciation for him through academic achievement, and this leads to self-inflation.
If parents are condescending to their child and react with disappointment when their child is not perfect; This leads to a child’s excessive desire to please his parents, and here the child begins to develop narcissistic behavior.
Temporary narcissism in children:
Every child has a temporary narcissistic self-image, they want to be admired and sometimes develop fantasies of grandeur. If normal “childish” narcissism caused by a lack of emotional support is not resolved, and if parental boundaries are not shown, narcissistic traits will still be present.
Real narcissism, is a serious personality disorder, but it is not easy to diagnose, and this will require examining the narcissist and treating him if necessary, but the dilemma is that he does not see any reason for this, and he sees that everything is fine with him and there is something wrong with others, and this is an indication of Narcissistic personality disorder.
What are the hallmarks of narcissistic personality disorder?
- Narcissists believe they are great and important even when their accomplishments are not great.
- Narcissists live in a fantasy of unlimited success, power, influence, beauty, and love.
- Narcissist believes that they are unique and that they can only be understood or related to other people who are equally special and highly respected.
- Narcissists have a strong need for admiration.
- Narcissists demand preferential treatment.
- Narcissists take advantage of others only to further their own goals and needs “towards a greater impress.”
- Narcissists suffer from a marked lack of empathy. That is, they only see themselves, they have difficulty recognizing the needs and feelings of others, and they certainly don’t empathize with others.
- Narcissists are obsessed with envy and may think that others envy them.
- Narcissists are very arrogant because of their behavior in communicating with others.
- It would be a mistake to classify a child as a narcissist just because one characteristic or another is a perfect fit for him.
What narcissistic traits should we watch out for?
1. They are dangerous exploiters.
Narcissists always sanctify their self-interest, they go far and are not afraid to use others for their purposes and manipulate them. Narcissists are usually smart and caring about it. They twist facts to shift potential blame to others so skillfully that they end up believing it themselves.
2. YarrowaJohn themselves:
Narcissists like to brag about themselves, they want to be the center of attention, they don’t tolerate anyone else, and they are likely to resort to groups and try to lead or exploit them.
3. They break the rules:
Children with narcissistic structures find it very difficult to follow the rules in team sports and accept failure.
4. They don’t trust anyone.
Narcissists do not trust anything, they suffer from a great lack of self-esteem and make up for the deficiency with active and impulsive behavior instead of self-control, and this behavior can take on some destructive dimensions for the personal environment if they put pressure on those close to them.
Narcissism is the worst trait par excellence:
They are masters in taking advantage of others and are unable to accept criticism, but if one of them is superior to the narcissist, this leads to deep insult and can plunge him into a real psychological crisis, in which he becomes a danger to himself or others at worst, and the narcissist acts like a barrel Gunpowder when things are out of his control.
Can narcissists be helped?
Helping narcissists is difficult, and they can only be helped if they reflect on their behavior and develop psychological stress. On the contrary, other children and young people need protection from narcissistic personalities, and this alone is a challenge. This is because narcissists often have a group of admirers around them.
What can we do with narcissists?
Narcissists are not socially portable and irrational; This means that it is difficult to reach them for the application of therapeutic methods, and yet treatments are possible. Which will be in the hands of a therapist.
This can work if the affected person realizes that he is in an acute crisis, and may be willing to accept help. After that, he must reprogram his self-awareness and learn how to control his impulses. Learning how to treat others with respect is a difficult process for him, and there is no one-size-fits-all procedure. magic; Because this depends on the patient’s desire.
Therapy also involves allowing the therapist to be close to the vulnerability of the narcissistic person, and the dropout rate from treatments is very high for narcissists.
How can a narcissistic child be dealt with properly?
It is helpful for a child with very negative behavioral problems to join a youth group or take part in a holiday camp.
Criticizing a child for narcissistic behavior requires great precision. This is because anything can be interpreted as a provocation and will inflame feelings of defiance, and praise at the beginning of a conversation can make a child “soft” and more receptive to being asked not to do something or to do something differently, and if the narcissist realizes that he must respect the person to Staying in a group and if the person is socially stable and calm in their behavior – and predictable for the child narcissist – this communication can work.
Engaging in a confrontation with the narcissistic child or youth will result in a “battle” that the narcissist has a good chance of winning or harming others. For example, between a socially normal child and a narcissistic one, adults should intervene, and it is important to educate groups without stigmatizing the child with behavioral problems.
in conclusion:
Holiday camp can be an opportunity to treat any child with narcissistic behavior. In childhood, most children have narcissistic behavior that is temporary, sometimes more or less obvious. Therefore, there is an opportunity for the child to change his or her self-image for the better by being involved in the group, experiencing challenging activities, and reflecting or feedback. Many children have already gained self-confidence and self-esteem through a well-functioning group and educated and attentive supervisors.
