Adolescent Narcism

By Craig Rogers

Adolescent narcism is a personality disorder, and the only "learned" personality disorder.  Narcissistic Personality Disorder usually begins in adolescent. Teenagers with low self-esteems often develop fantasies and grandiose views of themselves, which can translate into narcissistic personality disorder if gone unchecked. According to the DSM , one percent of adolescents develop a narcissistic personality disorder. Moreover, statistics show that most adolescent narcissists are male.

The name for narcissistic personality disorder comes from Greek mythology. Its a story of a young man, Narcissus, who was in love with himself. He was very good-looking, and quite full of himself. In fact, he was so good-looking that he thought himself as beautiful as the gods. Then, one day, he fell in love with the reflection of himself in a pond. He stared at the reflection, reveling in its beauty, until he wasted away. Adolescents with narcissistic personality disorder have an exaggerated sense of self, and do not take into consideration the feelings of others'.  Adolescent narcism is displayed as a teen that prefers above all thing to seek the attention that brings attention to himself.

Extreme Selfishness and Self-importance

The main issue is that all teens display a level of selfishness and self-importance, it is a normal part of growing up and separating from "parents" carving out an individual identity. Adolescent narcissistic personality disorder is a condition where the adolescent is unable to establish a stable self-image that is accurate and factual.  These teens are somewhat delusional as it pertains to their self-importance. Adolescent narcism is when a teen genuinely feels entitled and his needs are above all others.  Adolescent narcissists become angry and sometimes violent when they don't get their way, especially after their "charm" does not work.