Narcissism Health Dictionary

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Narcissism: From 3 Different Sources

Intense self-love. A narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, constant need for attention or praise, inability to cope with criticism or defeat, and poor relationships with other people.
Health Source: BMA Medical Dictionary
Author: The British Medical Association
An abnormal mental state characterised by excessive admiration of one’s self. In Greek mythology, Narcissus so loved staring at his own re?ection in water that he eventually fell in and drowned.
Health Source: Medical Dictionary
Author: Health Dictionary
n. an excessive involvement with oneself and one’s self-importance, often to cover insecurity. In Freudian terms it is a state in which the *ego has taken itself as a love object. Some degree of narcissism is present in most individuals, but when it is shown to an extreme degree it may become a *personality disorder. —narcissistic adj.
Health Source: Oxford | Concise Colour Medical Dictionary
Author: Jonathan Law, Elizabeth Martin

Nymphomania

An outdated term for a condition in which a woman is dominated by an insatiable appetite for sexual activity with numerous partners.

The equivalent behaviour in men is called satyriasis or Don Juanism. It was said to be caused by intense narcissism and feelings of inferiority.... nymphomania

Personality Disorders

A group of conditions characterized by a failure to learn from experience or to adapt appropriately to changes, resulting in distress and impairment of social functioning. Personality disorders are ways of behaving that may become especially obvious during periods of stress. They are usually first recognizable in adolescence and continue throughout life, often leading to depression or anxiety.

Specific types of personality disorders are divided into 3 groups but there is often overlap. The 1st group is characterized by eccentric behaviour. Paranoid people show suspiciousness and mistrust of others, schizoid people are cold emotionally, and schizotypal personalities have behaviour oddities similar to those of schizophrenia, but less severe.In the 2nd group, behaviour tends to be dramatic. Histrionic people are excitable and constantly crave stimulation, narcissists have an exaggerated sense of their own importance (see narcissism), and people with antisocial personality disorder fail to conform to accepted social standards of behaviour.

People in the 3rd group show anxiety and fear. Dependent personalities lack the self-confidence to function independently (see dependence). Those with compulsive personalities are rigid in their habits (see obsessive–compulsive disorder), and passive-aggressive people resist demands from others.

Treatment is usually counselling, psychotherapy, and behaviour therapy.... personality disorders

Fantasy

n. a complex sequence of imagination in which several imaginary elements are woven together into a story. An excessive preoccupation with one’s fantasies may be symptomatic of a difficulty in coping with reality or part of a narcissistic personality disorder (see narcissism). In psychoanalytic psychology, unconscious fantasies are believed to control behaviour, and psychological symptoms may be symbols of or defences against such fantasies (see symbolism).... fantasy

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