By Dr Abu Yazid Abu Bakar
The writer Lt Cdr (Retired) Dr Abu Yazid Abu Bakar is a senior lecturer (Guidance and Counselling/Psychology) at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
KUALA LUMPUR: Not only are individuals in advanced nations predisposed to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, which are usually caused by extreme stress, but also people living in developing nations like Malaysia.
According to the Ministry of Health’s National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015, at least one out of three Malaysians aged above 15 is exposed to problems related to mental health. This can be attributed to the rapid pace of development that can cause pressure to pile up on the economic, social and community fronts.
Apart from mental health issues, the incidence of another personality disorder — narcissism — is now rising in society. The narcissistic personality disorder is prevalent among people from all walks of life and ages, with the catalyst for narcissism being the explosive growth in communication technology and social media.
What is worrying is that this particular mental disorder is not being viewed as a problem because, more often than not, people are unconscious of its occurrence. However, rising numbers of narcissistic individuals can have a damaging effect on any society in the long run as it can destroy a community’s identity and values.
The word narcissism can be traced to Greek mythology which has it that a young man named Narcissus fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water. He spent his days sitting by the pool in self-absorption and eventually, transformed into a flower that was named after him.
Psychologists define narcissistic personality disorder as a tendency to have an inflated sense of one’s own importance. A narcissistic person is self-obsessed for no rational or logical reason.
Here are some of the key characteristics of people with this disorder: have an exaggerated sense of self-importance and sense of entitlement, require excessive attention and love, and lack empathy for others to the extent of them belittling and ridiculing others excessively.
It is usual for narcissistic individuals to feel frustrated when they are not accorded the treatment, they think they deserve. Their frustration can build up and cause all kinds of problems in their personal or professional relationships.
In other words, obsessive self-concept can lead to social and cultural problems. This is the reason narcissistic personality disorder is categorised as a mental health problem by the American Psychiatric Association and has been listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders since 1968.
It is estimated that narcissistic personality disorder affects about one per cent of the general population and in the Malaysian context, about 300,000 people from various backgrounds are potentially affected without them being conscious of it.
Narcissism in a person can be identified via behavioural symptoms, such as showing excessive envy or jealousy towards others and, at the same time, believing that others are very jealous of them; being extremely egoistic and looking down on others; cannot handle criticism from others; and always expecting recognition and appreciation although they lack the capacity or talent.
Narcissistic individuals are always fantasising about their success, power or appearance, and craving for the best (such as car, office space or partner). They lack the capacity to take into consideration the needs and feelings of other people and they manipulate those they regard as not as perfect or as good as themselves.
The narcissistic person does not regard himself as problematic. In fact, he would readily finger-point at others whenever an issue related to his own behaviour crops up. He finds it difficult to admit his faults, apologise to others or accept an apology from others.
A narcissistic person keeps telling himself that he is the best when compared to others although in reality it is far from the truth.
What causes this personality disorder? The cause is unknown but it could be triggered by environmental, genetic and neurobiological factors.
In this respect, certain critical factors that can contribute to mental health issues are parenting style (whether parents are supportive or overly critical of their children in their growing up years), inherited traits and the correlation between brain capacity and thinking/behavioural style.
For example, children of parents who spoil and overindulge them (particularly in personality development and material aspects) tend to become narcissistic when they grow up.
These “spoiled brats” will end up facing all kinds of problems in their lives (even after they become mature adults).
Drastic lifestyle changes in the socioeconomic and social context can give rise to narcissism as well. Changes in the geopolitical and economic landscapes may lead to a sudden change in the status quo of a certain section of society, which may possibly produce narcissistic individuals who will face problems in their daily social interactions.
Since narcissism occurs unconsciously, it can strike anybody regardless of profession, age or status.
A narcissistic community leader’s arrogance is projected when it comes to making decisions as he thinks only his decisions are correct.
If you find yourself frequently using self-assertive statements and humiliating others (for example, “I have a PhD and you only have diploma”, “Only I can do this, others don’t know anything”, “I am right, I don’t have to apologise”), be cautious as you may be affected by narcissistic personality disorder without you realising it.
Counselling is the only recommended therapy for individuals with this disorder. Seek help if you need it. There has to be more public awareness of mental health issues in our society to ensure the well-being of the people.
(The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.)
