Narcissus

The Flower that Bends to its Own Reflection

The Narcissus flower is named after the Greek myth about a young man who was so strikingly beautiful, he enchanted all who saw him. The nymph, Echo, was one of his most ardent admirers, but since she could only repeat back what was said to her, she couldn’t plead her case very well. Not that Narcissus needed anyone but himself to talk to. He was so in love with his own image, he couldn’t tear himself away to eat or do anything so he wasted away and died or turned into a fragile flower that bends its head as if its looking at its own reflection.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder also gets its name from that boy, but NPD is more complicated than just falling in love with yourself and dying. People with NPD exhibit a bunch of symptoms like an exaggerated sense of their own talents and they do a lot of stuff just to get attention. If you wonder if someone is a narcissist, take a look at their signature. It’s probably large, heavy pressure, overly stylized and vertical. You know the type.

They feel entitled to special treatment, they don’t take criticism well and negative feedback can derail them altogether. Lucky for us, NPD is not a common disorder. I mean, all of it wrapped together in one package is pretty unique, affecting less than 1% of the population. Still, you don’t want to be besties with a Narcissist because, even if all you do is echo him, he doesn’t really care about you … or anyone else.