The Inherent Benefits of Narcissism

"[People who score high on mental toughness] believe that they are truly worthwhile people and maintain the self-confidence to achieve goals."
"Furthermore they are able to control their emotion effectively in the face of set-backs and challenges."
Study on narcissism, Queen's University, Belfast

"Self-perception of individuals is higher now than it used to be in the '70s. This whole idea of a self-made man or woman started in the '50s, '60s and '70s. But it's more prevalent than ever."
"When you are faced with an impossible challenge -- and the human species has faced many challenges during evolution -- you can't spend cognitive resources on self-doubt. You need to be absolutely certain you can survive."
"So, obviously, if these people are reproducing more and leaving more offspring behind, then narcissism will increase, because they're passing more of their genes into the next generation."
"Instead of thinking in a narcissistic way, we need to be able to be flexible. We need to be able to use these characteristics when we are faced with a challenge, and be pro-social in all other situations."
"Diversity and inclusiveness [should be embraced, and stop stereotyping narcissists]."
Dr.Kostas Papageorgiou, Queen's School of Psychology, Belfast

@Criene | Twenty20

New research appears to point to a different kind of reality than has always been realized about narcissists; even while their extreme self-regarding trait is irritating to others, that very self-love and sense of self-importance may make them more mentally resilient than other people. Research out of Belfast's Queen's University leads to a renewed interest in narcissism as a positive in that it may represent a mental buffer against stress, depression and additional types of "psychopathology", resulting from narcissists being possessed with more mental resilience.

Broadly speaking, narcissism is defined as a "fixation with oneself and one's physical appearance/or public perception". Regarded for the most part as a socially aversive personality trait, narcissism seems to be rising in societies of today. Influential online platforms have been instrumental in magnifying artificial, unauthentic identities, allowing the appearance of lives that appear impressively more perfect than in actual fact they are. Discerning the reality behind the public show on such platforms is virtually impossible, pointed out Dr. Papageorglou.

Pathological narcissists' need for attention and admiration beyond the norm, leading to the perception  of status and power can be repulsive to others, as revealed by other studies. There are, without doubt, some professions where an over-arching sense of personal worthiness beyond the ordinary where a certain amount of narcissism is indispensable is another reality; think politics for example. Current American President Donald Trump is an extreme case in point, where many who study human behaviour point out his unfitness for office, given his extreme narcissism.

Dr. Papageorgiou goes back to humanity's primitive hunter-gathering history when acquiring and managing greater resources than others and making use of the resources to achieve social status, increasing the opportunities of survival, meant narcissism in that context was a huge advantage. Those whose personalities exemplify traits like narcissism account for greater incidents of sexual encounters and linked to that, have more offspring. High scores on emotional intelligence also result from narcissism, nor do they care how they are regarded by others.

"But they are very capable of understanding how other people feel, which is important in the mating game", added the researcher who, with colleagues focused on "subclinical narcissism" for their study, among a cluster of personality traits including subclinical psychopathy and Machiavellianism. Subclinical narcissism, a less severe form of narcissism, does not appear in the pathological domain of narcissistic personality disorder as defined in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Narcissist are less likely to have the symptoms of depression  Getty

Full-blown narcissism that does appear in the Manual rates the trait as "a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behaviour" and a continual requirement for admiration, with a lack of empathy. Many people exhibiting narcissism fail to meet the criteria for full-blown narcissistic personality disorder. Their studies involving over 700 adults in total were conducted by the researchers, where people completed questionnaires meant to measure narcissism, mental toughness and symptoms of depression.

 What the researchers discovered was that two types of subclinical narcissism in which exhibitionism, lack of humility or modesty and "interpersonal dominance" were found to be associated with a decrease in stress and depression symptoms. Indicating a reverse pattern was the covert narcissist, representing people with a constant need for reassurance. Narcissists, points out Dr. Papageorgiou, are regarded with suspicious scorn; articles aplenty are readily accessed on the Internet, portraying them as "monsters".

"We don't do the same thing with people who have depression. We are sympathetic; we try to help them. With depression, they think they are worthless. Narcissists think they are great. Yet we treat them very differently, and then we question why narcissists don't exhibit any empathy. Why would they?", the researcher asked rhetorically. He would, without doubt, have a hard time influencing many in the general public that a little bit of narcissism to leaven a personality is not all a negative influence on character.

'Dark traits, such as narcissism, should not be seen as either good or bad,' says researcher