Narcissus: The vain youth who perished, entranced by his own reflection
The Life and Personality of Narcissus
Introduction
Personality is an adaptive arrangement of psychophysical systems within a person (Md Ridzwan Bin Md Yunus et al., 2023). It comprises of traits that are unique to the person and characteristics that are similarly expressed among a group of people. It depicts how a person behaves and his or her thought process in different situations they encounter in everyday life. The word personality originates from the Latin word “persona” which means mask, referring to a disguise worn by actors in Greek theatre. It attempts to explain that people portray themselves in a particular way in society, however, this may or may not represent their true selves. Personality comprises of mixture of traits, which are certain qualities or patterns of behavior, and emotions. These personality traits determine the way in which an individual interacts with society and how they adapt to changes in their lives. The outline of this essay is examining closely the personality of the mythological figure “Narcissus” with the use of popular personality theories. Furthermore, it explores certain social and cultural factors which may have played a role in shaping his personality.
Overview of Narcissus’s Life
The story of Narcissus is a mythological tale from ancient Greece. Narcissus was a very handsome youth who lived around this time. He drew everyone’s attention due to his captivating beauty. However, he was described as proud, cold and cruel. One day a nymph named Echo sees Narcissus and falls deeply in love with him, however, she had been cursed by the Greek Goddess, Hera, to repeat only the last words spoken to her by the other person. The self-centered youth, Narcissus, rejects Echo’s attempts to love him repeatedly and cruelly, until “she wastes away her body until she is reduced to mere voice” (Hermans & van Gilst, 1991).
It is important to know the background of this mythological tale to understand what happens next. According to the story, when Narcissus was a child, his mother has inquired about her son’s future from the Greek prophet Tiresias. When asked about his future, Tiresias predicts that Narcissus will live a long life provided that “he never knows himself”. The words of Tiresias are cryptic, yet it gives us a glimpse into the fate of Narcissus.
Following the tragedy of Echo, Narcissus continues his grandiose-self-centered behavior, cruelly rejecting other people’s feelings, until one day another person who was hurt by Narcissus’ actions prays to Nemesis, the Greek Goddess of Revenge to make Narcissus feel the same pain of rejection which she experienced. Hearing her prayer, the Greek Goddess Nemesis, curses Narcissus to fall in love with his own image. Narcissus was standing by a body of water, fatigued by hunting and as he peered into the spring to drink water, he saw his own reflection in the water and instantly fall deeply in love with his own appearance. However, when he realizes that it was his own reflection he is observing in the water, he is overcome with sorrow. He stares into his own reflection for days as he was unable to move away from it due to his obsessive self-love. According to the story, he deteriorates, staring at his own reflection in the spring and eventually dies of thirst by the riverbank. Following his passing, a beautiful flower grows in the place where he lay, and this flower came to be called “The Narcissus”.
The word “narcissism” is frequently used in modern-day psychology to describe a person who is excessively concerned with their image, desire for excessive amounts of attention and admiration, and lack of empathy for other individuals. There is also a personality disorder in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders named narcissistic personality disorder or NPD for short. People with this type of disorder demonstrate high levels of self-centeredness, entitlement, and grandiosity. They may appear confident in the outside world; however, they are highly insecure and struggle with feelings of inadequacy and may find it extremely difficult to connect with other human beings at an emotional level. People with NPD display negative qualities like arrogance and jealousy, and fantasize on having unlimited power, success, or beauty. And in some instances, they can be exploitative and manipulative.
Theoretical Analysis of Narcissus’s Personality
Psychodynamic Theories
According to the psychodynamic theories of Freud and the Neo-Freudians, early life experiences shape a person’s personality. Young children experience unconscious conflicts during the early stages of their lives which Freud described as the stages of psychosexual development. During this period the human mind, comprised of Id, Ego and Super-Ego, plays a crucial role in constructing the personality of an individual which remains throughout their life. The ego, which resolves conflicts between the Id and the Super-Ego, will utilize certain defense mechanisms to cope with the anxiety accompanying these threats (Albay & Atak, 2025).
The early relationship a child experiences plays an integral role in shaping their personality. The child forms an emotional bond with their primary caregiver, usually the mother. According to Winnicott, a “good-enough” mother should possess qualities such as attentiveness, responsiveness, and nurturing (Hingley, 2001). If the caregiver does not properly cater to the child’s emotional and physiological needs, it could lead to unresolved inner conflicts, that manifest as personality traits later in life. Melanie Klein’s object relations theory states that the relationships formed with objects during early childhood are integral for the development of personality, as these impact relationships and personality later in life (Albay & Atak, 2025).
Mirroring is an important aspect of mother-child interaction in early years of childhood. For example, when a child smiles and the mother smiles back, the child feels acknowledged and valued. This validation of been seeing and heard is essential for forming a sense of reality, which helps the child to develop a sense of self. The psychologist Kohut elaborated on this point, stating that parents must recognize the achievements of their child to validate their feelings. If the relationship between the child and the primary caregiver is disrupted, for instance if the caregiver is emotionally distant or unresponsive the child would develop insecurities and unstable sense of self (Hingley, 2001).
In Narcissus’s case it is possible that his mother overindulged him in constant validation and admiration. This overindulgence could have contributed to his sense of grandiosity as the mother constantly reinforced his feelings of superiority. Due to this reason Narcissus has grown up to seek constant admiration from other people, as his self-worth was dependent on external validation. Narcissus could not connect with other human beings on an emotional level due to his self-centered personality which craves constant admiration. The fixation on himself is a result of the disruption in mirroring and unmet emotional needs during early childhood.
Humanistic Theories
Humanistic psychologists with the likes of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow emphasize qualities such as acceptance and unconditional love. According to Humanistic theories, personality development is an active process, which human beings have control over. They believe people can choose who they become. A healthy personality is an outcome of healthy relationships and unconditional love (Albay & Atak, 2025). Personality grows and evolves with social interactions and learnings from the environment.
Abraham Maslow introduced the Hierarchy of Needs, where he explains people should satisfy certain levels of needs to attain a state known as “self-actualization”. Everyone has their unique skills and circumstances, which means, the term self-actualization may not mean the same thing for everyone, however, it is a place where an individual feels fully accomplished, reaching their full potential in life. According to Maslow, how a person satisfies these stages of needs affects personality development.
Carl Rogers introduced the idea of a “Real-Self” vs “Ideal-Self”. Ideal self is how a person would wish to see themselves based on qualities they want to achieve, and “Real Self” is the actual realistic experience the individual has about themselves. Incongruence or mismatch between these two versions of selves would lead to psychological consequences, such as depression and anxiety. The larger the gap or “incongruence” between the two selves, the individual experience emotional struggles. The more congruent or lower the gap, the healthier the personality would be.
Applying the above theories to the story of Narcissus, we observe that although Narcissus was someone with exceptional beauty, he had not attained the more basic needs mentioned in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. For instance, the fact that he has a self-centered personality and seeks admiration and preferential treatment from everyone, and cannot build proper human connections, means he has not achieved the need for love and belonginess in Maslow’s hierarchy. Moreover, his self-esteem is dependent on external sources, hence he seeks external validation to uphold his self-worth. However, this is not a healthy form of self-esteem, a healthy form of self-esteem is not derived completely from external sources, it should be developed from within, in being confident about his or her own abilities and appearance, through self-awareness and growth.
To put it in another way, Narcissus is fixated on his “ideal” self instead of reconciling with his “real” self. The fixation he has on external validation and his obsession about his appearance and image is a “trap” which keeps him fixated on an ideal version of himself. The lack of congruence between the real and ideal selves and perfectionism is possibly the reason why he does not accept other human beings for who they are and rejects their attempts to love him.
Hereditary and Biological factors
We inherit certain characteristics from our parents and grandparents, which may be due to genetic or behavioral influences. According to one genetic study, narcissistic traits such as grandiosity and entitlement are 20-35% influenced by genetics, whilst the rest was due to personal life experiences. The study was conducted in Beijing, China, where researchers examined 304 pairs of twins (Luo et al., 2014).
Another study conducted among a sample of 686 twin pairs in Canada, indicates that narcissistic characteristics are heritable. The study attributed 44% of behavioral variations to genetic factors, whilst the rest of the variations were influenced by non-shared environmental factors (Luo & Cai, 2018). Moreover, a study that delves into communal narcissism also revealed that non-shared environmental factors explain a large percentage of behavioral variations. Therefore, while narcissism is somewhat hereditary, unique life experiences exert a significant influence on the narcissistic behaviors demonstrated by individuals.
If we apply the above findings to the story and personality of Narcissus, it indicates that Narcissus may have been more self-centered than other individuals due to genetic factors hereditary from birth. If Narcissus’ ancestors demonstrated certain self-centered and grandiose traits, it’s likely that he would showcase these tendencies of superiority and entitlement in his life.
Additionally, empathy is one of the qualities that appears to be lacking in Narcissus. Empathy is simply the ability to put yourself in another’s shoes, resonate with their feelings, and feel from their own heart. Empathy is crucial for upholding morality, connecting with and caring for others, and acting in a way that does not harm another individual’s feelings. In what psychologists refer to as the Biopsychosocial model, a multi-tiered model for psychological research, it indicates that impairments in certain regions of the brain, specifically the anterior insular cortex (AIC), can reduce the ability to empathize with others (George & Short, 2017). This specific region of the brain is responsible for regulating emotional processing. Individuals with narcissistic traits demonstrate lower neural activity in the anterior insular cortex, which hinders their ability to emphasize with others.
Social and Cognitive factors
The other explanation for Narcissus’ pattern of behavior can be traced to the unique circumstances in which Narcissus grew up. Since he was naturally a good-looking person, it is possible that he received preferential treatment from his caregivers and family, thereby reinforcing his sense of superiority. And because he was regularly praised for his beauty and never criticized, he may have developed an excessive ego and pride. It is also possible that he inherited narcissistic traits from his parents, and it was reinforced by the continuous admiration he received throughout his life.
The above idea aligns with Bandura’s Social Cognitive theory, which states that personality development is a function of learning and cognition. Bandura emphasized the idea of reciprocal determinism, which means that human beings are not objects controlled by the environment, while neither can they pursue whatever they choose. The three components of reciprocal determinism; cognition, behavior and environment influence one another. The cognition of Narcissus is conditioned to value physical beauty, which is a symbol of his superiority. To understand this, it is important to understand the Greek culture, where physical beauty was associated with statues of Gods, Heroes and Athletes, with the likes of Zeus, Hercules, Aphrodite etc. Ancient Greeks were obsessed about the “perfect” human appearance constantly portraying idealized versions of body proportion and symmetry in their art and marble work. In Ancient Greece, beauty and physical strength were associated with divinity, and was held as sign of strength, intelligence, and morality. As a result, the culture and beliefs probably influenced Narcissus’s thoughts, attitudes, and expectations. Moreover, his physical appearance was praised and admired by many, which must have reinforced his beliefs of superiority.
Moreover, Aaron Beck introduced a cognitive perspective on personality disorders. According to Beck, personality disorders arise due to certain maladaptive cognitive schemas (Pretzer & Beck, 2019). These schemas are beliefs an individual holds about themselves and their environment. It affects how a person perceives and interprets the information they received from the external world. These schemas lead to attention being placed only on selective content, as the individual filters only the content that reinforces their preexisting beliefs. A person with maladaptive schemas, may hold certain biases, such as “I am perfect” or “I am superior” or “everything I do is right”. In Narcissus’ case, it is possible that he possesses a schema that attaches his self-worth to beauty and appearance. In his mind, a person who is beautiful is superior to others. This belief helps us understand his interactions with the external world, as he disregards deep emotional connections and place greater importance on beauty and admiration. These schemas, when practiced repeatedly would reinforce his self-centered personality.
Conclusion
In conclusion, when analyzing the life and actions of Narcissus, there appears to be multiple complex and interrelated factors that may have contributed to his behavior. Although the story of Narcissus seems like one taken from a fairy tale, if we set aside its poetic aspects and observe the essence of who Narcissus was as a human being, it becomes evident that he was strongly influenced by the belief that physical beauty symbolizes grandiosity or superiority. This belief was formed due to the physical beauty-oriented values of the Ancient Greek society and constant validation he received from his family for his beauty, which made him believe that it is important to look good to deserve love.
If we exclude the divine and pseudoscientific elements from the story, we see a deeply insecure young man, who clings to his physical appearance as a means of supporting his fragile self-esteem. He requires constant validation and appreciation from the external environment to feel worth. Even in modern-day we can observe similar grandiose behavior from certain individuals in the media, fashion, and film industries, where certain body types and physical features are idealized, and people go to extreme lengths to meet these standards by artificial surgeries and excessive weight loss. The sense of self-worth linked to beauty standards is extremely fragile as physical beauty is impermanent and the inevitable decline of beauty with age will cause a painful and pitiful downfall for those who base their self-worth on solely on beauty and external validation. More importantly, the harm caused by a fragile ego driven by beauty, power, or authority should not be taken lightly as personalities like that of Narcissus can cause emotional harm to oneself and others.
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