Definition for Narcissism

Narcan

Narcolepsy

Meaning

(1) Extreme self-centeredness or fascination with oneself. (2) Love or desire for one's own body.

Sentence

His girlfriend would complain about his carcissism, saying he spent more time looking in the mirror than looking at her.

Commentary

Narcissus was a handsome youth in Greek mythology who inspired love in many who saw him. One was the nymph Echo, who could only repeat the last thing that anyone said. When Narcissus cruelly rejected here, she wasted away to nothing but her voice. Though he played with the affections of others, Narcissus became a victim of his own attractiveness. When he caught sight of his own reflection in a pool, he sat gazing at it in fascination, wasting away without food or drink, unable to touch or kiss the image he saw. When he finally died, the gods turned him into a flower, a narcissus, that stands with its head bent as though gazing at its own reflection. From this myth comes the name of a psychological disorder, narcissism, which is the excessive love of oneself, as well as a more common type of vanity and self-centeredness.