BEING A NARCISSIST CAN BE BAD TO YOUR HEALTH

Selfie and Narcissistic Personality Disorder 
By Henry Libo-on 

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Disclaimer:

No Copyright infringement intended. 

Photos and articles taken from secondary sources are duly acknowledged. No copyright infringement intended. Thank you. 

Is Lester Wisbrod, the King of Selfie?
Wisbrod took his first selfie with Art Buchwald in 1981.  Wisbrod is a Hollywood Cameraman. 

Source: latimes.com

Please click the link below to see Lester Wisbrod's Selfies with Hollywood Celebrities. 

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/meet-man-launched-selfie/story?id=24585927

  This Selfie was taken at the cruise ship Norwegian Breakaway on my way to Bermuda Island, a territory of the United Kingdom. 

 As a travel blogger, I took pictures of those beautiful places that I have been to and forgetting myself as the object of a photo opt.  Sometimes, I regret having not taken my picture with those breathtaking landscapes, beaches, historical sites and places, centuries-old churches, and buildings, mountains, caves, waterfalls, flora and fauna, city scenes, shopping malls, and many others.

The memories of these travels are stored in the hard copies called pictures but most of the time, I am not included in these photos.

Probably the main reason why I do not have the intention to take my "selfie" with these beautiful places as the background is - I feel uncomfortable with this act.  Why? Because the result of the picture is not photogenic enough that is worth sharing with friends.  There are times when your face looked surprised, stern, serious, or awkward.  Honestly, there are "selfies" that make us looked stupid or funny.  Some "selfies" also project an image of forlorn, loneliness, insecurities, or a lonely existence or happy and enjoyable life.  For me, "selfie" does not at all times project a positive image but it also causes a negative impression to the "beholder".

So, instead of doing a "selfie" which to me, does not really create a good photo, I would rather request somebody to take my pictures, if there is that somebody available in the vicinity.  If there is none, I would not bother doing the "selfie".

 

The Selfie Queen? Nope, this is a fake one.  Source: www.mirror.uk.co.uk 

Why do people like to "selfie"?

There are so many reasons that we can connect to this practice.  I will answer the question based on my personal observations from the actual situations where I encountered people doing the "selfie" and from those that I saw from social media.

1.  When there is no one to take their pictures and most of the time, "Selfies" do not want to bother other people to take pictures of themselves.  By doing the "selfie", the "Selfies" can resort to different actions or poses to describe their feelings at that moment or to tease their followers and friends when they uploaded these on social media.

2.  "Selfies" want to tell their friends and followers how they enjoy the moment.  So, at the spur of the moment, they take their own pictures and post them on Instagram and other social media.  This would inform their family, friends, and followers about their day-to-day activities.  With whatever intentions they have in mind, their posts are simply to inform and share.

3.  Others use their "selfie" to flaunt, boast, brag, their physical endowments.  Others want to incite jealousy among friends, followers, haters, or bullies, among others.   To show that they can afford to go to many places, eat in expensive restaurants or enjoy the night in the expensive and high-class bars, they took a "selfie" of all these activities.   Some would like to flaunt their new acquisitions - boy or girlfriends, clothes, jewelry, gadgets, expensive chocolates, and many more.

Ellen de Generes at Oscar's. 

Source: www.mirror.co.uk or images.search.yahoo.com

Photo Credit: James Devaney/WireImage/Getty Images and sheknows.dom 

and images.search.yahoo.com

 

Source: chaostrophic.com or images.search.yahoo.com

4.  "Selfie" symbolizes the things that the "Selfies" can afford to do.  It is honest to goodness manifestation of one's lifestyle.  If you are jealous, you will suffer because genuine "Selfies" do not try to flaunt or brag.  They are simply enjoying their life to the highest level.  I like this kind of person and I have some of them in my circle of friends.

5.  Some do "selfies" at beautiful places or travel destination areas.  Others do their "selfie" showing expensive things and gadgets as the background.  Some manifest an implied desire to own them while some obviously show these things to manifest ownership.  You would probably drool at someone wearing an expensive Movado watch or a Louis Vuitton bag and intentionally flashing them with the "selfie".

 

The photo was taken at Doubletree-Hilton Hotel, New Jersey 

Some would do this to satisfy their emotional and psychological needs and satisfaction that these things are possible to get, acquire or possess even if he or she is in reality just hiding one's struggling economic background.

The faces of "Selfies" show them all as they tried their very best to manifest and Emote to the highest level using the power of the medium - photography.

If you are jealous of what they are doing, it is your fault.  If you enjoy what they do, you can learn from their experiences too. There could be many reasons that we can attach to the act of doing a "selfie".  But all of these depend on how the "beholder" sees, interprets, or appreciates the pictures that they see.  While most "selfie" is dwelling on the positive side of things, other "selfie" projects a negative tone.

Is there something wrong with "selfie"?

Well, not necessarily wrong.  It depends on the speed, frequency, quality, and implied meaning that the picture shows and how the beholder interprets what he or she sees.

If we are going to base our interpretation of this activity - "selfie" - on the book published by the American Psychiatric Association, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM), then we can conclude that "selfie" is a "Narcissistic Personality Disorder".  I wish to qualify - when it is done to the extreme and the "Selfies" find gratification at looking at these pictures of himself or herself again and again.  As a form of Narcissism, here's what Wikipedia says.

 

Photo of my injured toes that turned black of walking around Bermuda Island, North Atlantic Ocean. Sitting on my bed inside the cabin, Norwegian Cruise Ship - Breakaway. 

Wikipedia describes Narcissism as "the pursuit of gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one's own attributes. The term originated from Greek mythology, where the young Narcissus fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water."  

Furthermore, Wikipedia confirmed the idea that "Narcissism is also considered a social or cultural problem. It is a factor in trait theory used in some self-report inventories of personality such as the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory. It is one of the three dark triadic personality traits (the others being psychopathy and Machiavellianism).  Except in the sense of primary narcissism or healthy self-love, narcissism is usually considered a problem in a person or group's relationships with self and others. Narcissism is not the same as egocentrism" 

Source:www.psikofarma.info

The following are the symptoms of this disorder as defined by DSM-IV-TR. (Wikipedia)

1.  Expects constant attention, admiration, and positive reinforcement from others.
2.  Envies others and believes others envy him/her.
3.  Expects to be recognized as superior and special without superior accomplishments.
4.  It is preoccupied with thoughts and fantasies of great success, enormous attractiveness, power, intelligence.
5.  Lacks the ability to empathize with the feelings or desires of others.
6.  Is arrogant in attitudes and behavior.
7.  Has expectations of special treatment that are unrealistic.

In the final analysis,  when "selfie"  is done as a necessity and in a good way and influenced by an honest intention of clean fun, and complete enjoyment of the situation one is in at the moment, then we can conclude that "selfie" is just an acceptable form of recording one's life events. 

But when "selfie" is influenced by the hidden need to gratify one's self or to see one's self in photographs coupled by admiration of one's own attributes that influenced the actions of "selfie" at every nook and cranny of life's experiences, then, something emotional or psychological disorder is already knocking at the "Selfies'" doorstep.  

When a "selfie" is done with a hidden purpose to brag, flaunt, and much worst to cover up or hide one's deficiency, then "selfie" becomes a bad habit.  It is no longer an honest-to-goodness enjoyment of one's experiences of the moment but rather a bad habit that can greatly devalue the person or affect his or her relationships with friends and others.  

Promoting business using a "selfie" belongs to a different level. 

Are "Selfies" pretenders or simply egotistic individuals who love to see their own image in the form of photographs?  

Are "Selfies" Narcissists who are in constant pursuit of gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one's own attributes?  (Wikipedia)

Or, are they simply fun-loving, and jolly individuals in pursuit of gratifying one's sense of adventure and discovery of novel situations, experiences, and possessions, thus enjoy life as they come in the here and now moments?

Whatever description fits the "Selfies" and the act of "selfie" in this discussion, the fact remains that the Law of Moderation should not be forgotten.  "Selfies" must, therefore, avoid or prevent excesses and also restraint in doing so much "selfie" if the intention is rooted in the vanity or egotistic admiration of one's attributes.  With moderation, the "Selfies" can prevent their moving up to the next level which is Narcissistic Personality Disorder. 

Source: youtube

For a related topic, please go to this link:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-02/tatz-the-scourge-of-the-selfie-stick/5997032

This kind of Selfie may create several kinds of reactions. 

Your guess is as good as mine.

Source: lolwot.com or images.search.yahoo.com

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For more information on the Dangers of Narcissism, please click this link. Thanks. 

The Dangers of Living With Narcissistic Personality Disorder | Practical Growth (medium.com)

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Selfie pa more? (Do more Selfies?).   But before you do that, if you find this write-up informative and entertaining, please LIKE my Facebook Page and SHARE this article with your friends.  Thanks.

For a complete video of Lester Wisbrod, please go to this link:
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/inventor-selfie-king-selfie-claims-invented-celebrity-selfie-24593262

***The Blogger/Writer is a graduate of B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Education, major in Guidance and Counseling. 

Updated on March 1, 2019.
Updated on December 15, 2019. 

Updated on September 28, 2020. 

Reviewed on September 15, 2021.