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Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Conceited People
The word conceited is defined as, having an excessively favorable opinion of one's abilities, appearance, and the synonyms include : vain, proud, egotistical, self-important, self-satisfied. Being described with the preceding synonyms would offend most people. Most people do not want to labeled as vain, (although a little vanity is not bad in my opinion) egotistical, and self-important, nor do they ordinarily want to be around such people, mainly, being around a conceited person means there will not be a mutual exchange ideas.
The sense of self-importance of conceited people impedes mutuality, as they believe, the presence of others is the opportunity for them to talk about what is happening in their life, to talk about their ideas. Conceited people have a tendency of treating others as receptacles in their braggadocios episodes, as they place very little importance on what the other person has to say.
The British humorist and poet , Thomas Hood mentioned, " To attempt to advise conceited people is like whistling against the wind. " The egoistical quality defining the character of conceited people, indeed poses problems in advising them, even for their own benefit. There is no need for the advice others, because their ideas are more than sufficient rendering the idea of others as irrelevant and superfluous. Holding such a high opinion of themselves prevents them from admitting when they have made a mistake, which could have been avoided by considering the ideas of others.
What justification can conceited people provide for placing so much importance on their ideas? Very simple. It's their ideas. Narcissistic personalities require frequent praise to reinforce the haughty perception they have of themselves, therefore criticism is considered a personal attack. Conceited people may have narcissistic personality disorder. The symptoms include:
- An exaggerated sense of one's own abilities and achievements.
- A constant need for attention, affirmation and praise.
- A belief that he or she is unique or "special" and should only associate with other people of the same status.
- Persistent fantasies about attaining success and power.
- Exploiting other people for personal gain.
- A sense of entitlement and expectation of special treatment.
- A preoccupation with power or success.
- Feeling envious of others, or believing that others are envious of him or her.
- A lack of empathy for others.
An official diagnosis requires 5 out the 9 symptoms to be met. Although individuals with narcissistic personality disorder are customarily labeled as conceited, there is a difference between the two. An individual with a narcissistic personality, may not have narcissistic personality disorder. They may be as egoistical, and as arrogant, but they do not have an exaggerated perception of their ability. Even if conceited people have narcissistic personality disorder, treating others as inferior does not become less morally reprehensible.