Narcissistic Users Dominating Facebook
Know someone constantly on Facebook updating their status? Every few hours, you see a new post that might be a post to let you know of the good they are doing, where they’re at or maybe even a post to influence your perceived image of them that is opposite of who they really are? You might see post several times a day where it seems they live on Facebook. A recent study was done by a Canadian University that discovered the Narcissistic users are the most popular user on Facebook today. According to WebMd, Narcissism is a term used to describe a focus on the self and self-admiration that is taken to an extreme. Narcissistic personality disorder has been classified as one of a group of conditions called dramatic personality disorders. The attitudes and behaviors really do not reflect ones true self-confidence. It actually conceals a deep sense of insecurity and a very weak self-esteem.
The exact causes really aren’t known, but it has been believed by many health professionals that it results from childhood. Here’s an example. NPD could develop as a result of excessive pampering, or even when a parent has a need for their child to be talented or special in order to maintain their very own self esteem. Take a look at some of the known symptoms and possible causes of Narcissistic Personality Disorder:
• Exaggerating their talents and achievements and needs to be praised for the “perceived” exceptional talents
• May take advantage of others to achieve their goals
• Excessive admiration that’s never balanced with “realistic” feedback
• Excessive praise for good behavior or excessive criticism for poor behavior during childhood life
• Overindulgence and/or overvaluation by parents
• Valued by the parents as a means to regulate the parents’ own self-esteem
• Unreliable care-giving from the parents
• Can be self-centered and boastful
• Envy of others or believes others are envious of him or her
• Arrogant behavior and/or attitude
• Seeks constant attention and admiration from others
• Belief that he or she is special or unique and can only be understood by other special or unique people
• Expectation that others will automatically go along with what he or she wants
It has been found that there are many individuals utilizing Facebook today in an effort to help control how other’s views of them.
Those in relationships with ones with Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) can sometimes find difficulty in their relationship. It can become isolating and very painful at times for both. It is also proven that every person with NPD is not the same. Research shows that some become overly narcissistic when they commonly feel rejected, humiliated and threatened or when they have been criticized. It’s known that a person with NPD has a “perceived” image that is typically not commensurate with his or her real accomplishments. The individual might be ambitious and capable, but at the same time doesn’t handle setbacks and criticism well and it makes it difficult for them to maintain long term professional achievements. Interpersonal relationships can become affected due to a constant need for attention inherent in NPD.
If you are a parent who has a child utilizing Facebook, are you paying attention to the content being posted by your child? Do any of the above symptoms or causes sound familiar? It is important that we really pay attention to how we parent our children. Unfortunately, there is not a manual to know the best decisions to always make, but some things we do will greatly benefit our children, while other decisions that we make will hinder their proper development. Rest assured though, every decision will have an impact one way or the other. There are many adults experiencing this personality disorder today and never knew there was an identified name for what they have. There’s plenty of information available online that discusses complications and treatments so if you feel that you know someone or even think you fit into this category, go online today to read more.
