The 3 differences between narcissism and self-centeredness

It is easy to confuse the concepts of narcissism and self-centeredness. They are two ideas widely used in the world of psychology and they are related to each other, since they have in common a withdrawal on their own identity, thoughts and motivations.

However, they are used to refer to different things.

Differences between narcissists and egocentric

Next we will see what are the points in which egocentricity and narcissism differ and how these concepts can serve to describe a personality type.

What is narcissism?

Narcissism is a psychological trait that in contemporary psychology is used to know to what extent a person is more or less close to exhibiting a personality disorder known as Narcissistic Personality Disorder. That means that, although it can be said that someone shows a high level of narcissism in her behavior and way of thinking, the intensity of this trait does not have to become pathological.

And what is Narcissistic Personality Disorder? Fundamentally, in a constant need to notice the admiration of others and in the lack of empathy. This makes narcissistic people feel great about their own positive qualities and abilities (something that can also be described as

megalomania) And ultimately, delusions of grandeur.

The narcissist assumes that he deserves special treatment, is frustrated when he notices that he does not deserves attention, and undervalues ​​the achievements of others interpreting them as a matter of lucky. This is what makes narcissistic people often try to make others feel bad about themselves, since in this way their delusions of grandeur will be confirmed by the way in which others display low self-esteem.

What's more, narcissism appears basically through learning, especially the one that has taken place during the first years of life. This implies that in many cases it can be corrected significantly.

What is egocentricity?

Egocentricity, unlike narcissism, is not part of a diagnostic category. It is rather, a concept used to refer to a pattern in the way of thinking.

And what is it that characterizes the egocentric way of thinking? Basically, the omission of points of view other than their own.

While narcissists, like most of the human population, can easily know another person's point of view (although the narcissist gives it little importance beyond the usefulness for oneself that has this information), where there is egocentricity thoughts that evoke what the other person knows, believes, or intends they appear less frequently or in a more superficial and imperfect way.

In other words, self-centeredness is more defined by ignorance about what goes on in other people's minds than by the contempt for the criteria of others.

Examples of egocentricity

If we want to see more clearly what distinguishes narcissism and self-centeredness, we can take the way of thinking of children as an example.

The little ones do not have to be narcissistic, but their thinking is egocentric because it is difficult for them to put themselves in the shoes of others and imagine what they know or think.

For example, a capability known as Theory of mind, which consists of being able to making guesses about the kinds of thoughts and information that another person has, does not appear well formed until approximately four years of age.

However, until that moment a child does not have to show narcissism, that is, they do not need to receive praise or notice how others are located in a lower hierarchical step. What will happen, among other things, is that assume that everyone knows the information that you know yourself. If a 3-year-old child sees someone arrive and hides a toy in a trunk, when another person arrives who was not present when the above occurred will assume that the newcomer also knows that the toy is hidden in the trunk.

The egocentric brain

Thus, egocentricity does not only have to do with learned behaviors, but also with the degree of development of the brain. The youngest are self-centered because the neurons in your brain are not yet very interconnected with each other through areas of white matterSo they find it difficult to think through relatively abstract ideas and therefore cannot "simulate" what is going on in someone else's brain.

Narcissistic people, on the other hand, have a mature brain with well-interconnected neurons, and in their case what is characteristic is the way in which they prioritize their ideas and motivations.

How to distinguish between the narcissist and the egocentric

So, in summary, the differences between narcissism and self-centeredness are:

1. Self-centeredness occurs in practically all children

From our first months of life we ​​are egocentric, for the simple fact that we have not developed the ability to think in terms of "I" and "others". With age, this ability improves, but reaches its maximum development, since it evolves together with the ability to think in abstract terms.

2. Egocentrism has a more or less clear biological basis

Egocentricity is due to the somewhat reduced functionality of certain neural connections, which can be identified indirectly by observing the white matter that covers various areas of the brain. This does not mean that it is a developmental disorder or a disease; it may be due to learned behaviors fostered by an environment in which empathy or collaboration is not valued.

3. Narcissism has an instrumental component

Egocentric people do not have to think that others are worth less or that they have some kind of power over them, they simply spend little time thinking about them. That is why boys and girls show self-centeredness despite not having bad faith.

In narcissism, time is spent thinking about others, but with a manipulative and instrumental desire. The others are seen as a means of constructing a self-image defined by grandiosity.