People see what's going on around them and that's why they ask, "What is selfishness?" The Internet and the media make self-admiration possible even for those who, in fact, are nothing. But it would be unfair to blame only one of our eras, because there have always been daffodils.
The myth of Narcissus as a necessary introduction
It is impossible to answer the question about selfishness without mentioning Narcissus, a handsome but heartless young man. Narcissus loved no one but himself, and one day the goddess of love Aphrodite took revenge on him for offending the nymphs and rejecting her gifts. No one should play games with Aphrodite, but Narcissus was narcissistic and stupid. And it was like this.
Narcissus believed that he did not need to love, only he should be loved. And the nymphs, although mythical creatures, but their nature is still female. Girls don't tolerate that kind of thing. Therefore, when Narcissus once again rejected the nymph, she wished him to repeat her fate, that is, fall in love with someone, but unrequitedly. The wish of the nymph came true, because with the young manAphrodite herself wanted to settle scores.
During the hunt, Narcissus was overcome with thirst, and he went to the stream to drink, and the stream was so clear that everything was reflected in it, as in a mirror. When the young man bent down, he saw himself in the water as he is, and disappeared - he fell in love with himself to death in the truest sense of the word. He did not drink, did not eat, he looked at himself with might and main, and faded away.
The most amazing thing in this story is that the nymph that he rejected first, according to the myth, dug his grave - Echo. And other girls also mourned him, despite the cruelty of the young man's heart. Tradition speaks of the undoubted nobility of a woman, on the one hand, and her cruelty, on the other hand. After all, Narcissus was also killed by girls, although he took the most direct part in his death.
Now that we know the origin of the story, it's easier for us to understand what selfishness is?
Self-love. Synonyms
In the technical part of the narrative, we also need to indicate synonyms. And we will do it not without pleasure. So the list is:
- Self-admiration.
- Naroticism.
- Exorbitant vanity.
- Egocentrism.
- Yakanie or yakancy (two slightly clumsy but used words).
- Narcissism (a psychological term that is gaining popularity).
Such is selfishness. You can take any of the synonyms from the list, but remember the context. In addition, narcissism and narcissism and narcissism are identical in meaning, but egocentrism is a more general concept. Egocentric not necessarilyis delighted with his own person, although most often yes. He puts himself above others. Yakaniye and yakavanie may not be suitable for stylistic imaginations - these definitions are too rough. Let's get to the heart of the matter.
Self-love and selfishness
To determine the meaningful meaning of the word "self-love" and "self-love", we need to remember about selfishness and self-centeredness. An egoist is a person who knows about the needs of other people, but quite consciously tramples them, because he considers them insignificant. The egocentric is not even aware of the needs of other people. A selfish person is just such, but does not even think that other people may have interests, opinions, work. Narcissus sincerely believes that he is the most entertaining and curious thing in the world, his hobbies, his accomplishments.
Joke about Yevtushenko as an example of extreme selfishness
In Soviet times there was a very interesting anecdote about Yevtushenko. He and his friend meet. Yevtushenko talks long and tediously about himself and his successes, failures, mental anguish. Then the monologue is abruptly interrupted, and he says: “What am I all about myself and about myself? Let's talk about you, how do you like my new book?.
This perfectly characterizes the narcissistic type of person. Of course, some may not fully understand what selfishness is. The examples can be endless in perspective, so don't worry.
Z. Freud and K.-G. Jung
The discoverer of the phenomenon of narcissism Z. Freud also sinned with narcissism. It is known that he considered his own interpretation of the psychoanalytic teaching to be the only true one, and although he had students, he constantly cursed with them because of distortions of the theory. And even more burningly envied K.-G. Jung, because it was he, and not Freud, who discovered the collective layer of the human psyche. K.-G. Jung did not remain in debt and envied Freud that he was the discoverer of psychoanalysis as a method of knowing the unconscious.
If desired, the parade of self-lovers can be endless. But let's just say one thing before we move on to specifying the concept of "self-love": men are more prone to falling in love with themselves than women.
Now it's time to answer the question: "What is the difference between self-love and self-love?".
Everyone has pride
The attentive reader will notice: despite the similarity of the sound of pride and selfishness, the first is not synonymous with the second, and for good reason. These are two completely different essential concepts.
If we imagine the development of a person's perception of himself as a segment, then at the ends of it there will be self-abasement on the one hand, and self-love on the other. Exorbitant humiliation of oneself is the same extreme as forgetful love for oneself. And, mind you, falling in love and love are also different phenomena. If a person is in love with himself, this is not too good, but self-love is a normal feeling that should be present in everyone, at least for the purpose of self-preservation. Therefore, the subject who hates himself is more likely tocommit suicide.
A man endowed with pride, what is he like? A man or woman with self-respect will not let themselves be offended in any case. At the same time, altruistic actions may not be alien to them; for a person with adequate self-esteem, the people around him exist along with their opinions, interests and needs, and he is even capable of making sacrifices for them. Another thing is that a proud person knows his place in the world and life, and maybe he wants to go higher, but he will definitely never consciously lower his bar.
True, so as not to get the feeling that we are singing praises of self-love, let's say: self-love can degenerate into self-love, and then a person turns into a narcissist. Therefore, everyone is at risk. Narcissistic subjects should not be sad either, because this is not some kind of fatal disease, in addition, if self-interest does not turn into pathological forms, then others, as a rule, forgive narcissists their tendency. For the rest, we hope the reader understands that selfishness is not so bad, but not so good either. It is necessary to love yourself, and others should admire a person for his deeds and real achievements, while singing a laudatory song to yourself is a bad form.
