The 3 Differences Between Narcissism And Egocentrism
It is easy to confuse the concepts of narcissism and egocentrism. They are two ideas widely used in the world of psychology and are related to each other, since they have in common a withdrawal into one’s own identity, thoughts and motivations.
However, they are used to refer to different things.
Below we will see what are the points in which egocentrism and narcissism differ and how these concepts can serve to describe a type of personality.
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 their 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 a lack of empathy. This causes narcissistic people to have a feeling of grandiosity about their own abilities and positive qualities (something that can also be described as megalomania) and, ultimately, delusions of grandeur.
The narcissist assumes that he deserves special treatment, becomes frustrated when he notices that he does not receive the attention he deserves, and undervalues ​​the achievements of others, interpreting them as a matter of luck. This is what often causes narcissistic people to 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 exhibit low self-esteem.
Besides, narcissism appears basically through learning especially that which has taken place during the first years of life. This implies that in many cases it can be corrected significantly.
What is egocentrism?
Egocentrism, 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 characterizes the egocentric way of thinking? Basically, the omission of points of view other than one’s own.
While narcissists, like the majority of the human population, can easily learn another person’s point of view (although the narcissist places little importance on it beyond the usefulness of this information to oneself), there where there is egocentrism 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, egocentrism is more defined by ignorance about what happens in other people’s minds than by contempt for the criteria of others.
Examples of egocentrism
If we want to see more clearly what distinguishes narcissism and egocentrism, we can take the way of thinking of boys and girls 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 place of others and imagine what they know or think.
For example, a capacity known as Theory of Mind, which consists of being able to making assumptions about the kind of thoughts and information another person has does not appear well formed until approximately four years of age.
However, until that moment a boy or girl does not have to show narcissism, that is, they do not need to receive praise or notice how others are located on a lower hierarchical step. What will happen, among other things, is that will assume that everyone knows the information that you know yourself. If a 3-year-old child sees someone arrive and hide a toy in a trunk, when another person who was not present when the previous thing happened arrives, he or she will assume that the newcomer also knows that the toy is hidden in the trunk.
The egocentric brain
Thus, egocentrism does not only have to do with learned behaviors, but also with the degree of brain development. The youngest are egocentric because the neurons in your brain are not yet very interconnected with each other through areas of white matter, so that it is difficult for them to think through relatively abstract ideas and, therefore, they cannot carry out “simulations” about what is happening in another’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 egocentrism are:
1. Egocentrism occurs in practically all boys and girls
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 “self” and “others.” With age this ability improves, but it reaches its maximum development, given that it evolves together with the ability to think in abstract terms.
2. Egocentrism has a more or less clear biological basis
Egocentrism is due to the somewhat reduced functionality of certain neuronal connections, which can be identified indirectly by observing the white matter that covers various areas of the brain. That doesn’t mean it’s 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 any kind of power over them, they simply spend little time thinking about them. That is why boys and girls show egocentrism 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 to construct a self-image defined by grandiosity.
