The question of what is good and bad for the personality type “Narcissistic” vs. “Self-Esteem” is a highly debatable topic. The main issue here is the definition of what good or bad is for the personality. It is my belief that self-esteem is much more about the attitude we have about ourselves than it is about a particular level of ability. Narcissistic personality types tend to have a very poor self-image, viewing themselves as entitled, talented, great etc. This means they have a low opinion of others, and therefore tend to have a low self-esteem.
A related concept that may help us understand this is called “social dominance.” This concept states that people with higher social dominance views are usually those with higher self-esteem. For instance, a person who has high social dominance may assume that they are better than others and thus have a high self-esteem. Conversely, a person with low social dominance may view themselves as less dominant and therefore have a low self-esteem.
A similar concept that may be helpful is the concept of “Narcissistic personality disorder,” which states that those with narcissistic personality disorder have an excessive self-esteem and have little regard for other people’s feelings. This may include grandiose ideas, believing one’s superiority to others, unrealistic fantasies, and negative self-evaluation of others. Those with these personality traits often see themselves as superior to others and have little regard for others’ feelings. They also have a negative self-image and have a deep need for admiration.
The most accurate way to compare the self-esteem of narcissists and other personality types is to look at the commonalities in their patterns of behavior. Those with narcissistic traits will usually engage in unethical behavior – lying, cheating, theft, and so on – right from their childhood days. Narcissists use social media to make themselves feel better about themselves and to manipulate others. In contrast, those with a higher social status – which is typically associated with power, money, and achievement – do not engage in these behaviors, but rather use social media to improve their image. It would be impossible to remove the influence of social media completely from these individuals’ lives, but it can certainly reduce their influence.
Self-esteem can also be influenced by how others respond to them. Those with a high sense of self-worth are typically confident and assertive, while those with low self-esteem are often timid, unsure, and negative. When a person feels inferior or inadequate, they are likely to express this in ways that are confrontational, and may exaggerate their problems in order to receive attention and validation from others. Narcissists prey upon this weakness, using it to increase their sense of self-worth and achieve their own goals. By comparing themselves to others, they convince themselves that they are better than everyone else, and that they can only be helped by others – especially those who are close to them.
Narcissistic personality disorder is not limited to the social environment. The truth is that this disorder often stems from an inner crisis of unexpressed feelings and thoughts. Life throws many challenges at us, and we often fail to rise above our daily struggles. However, there are some things that we can control. If we decide to take control of our own life and begin to work on developing our self-esteem, then we can confront our issues head-on and overcome them instead of allowing them to paralyze us.
Although narcissists are masters at manipulating others to advance their own causes, their friends and family members are unlikely to fall for their ruses. Self-esteem is not something that people can artificially create or make higher – it’s something that we come into our own as we grow and mature. As we get older, our self-image, our self-talk, and our opinions of ourselves change. We no longer believe the same things we did when we were younger, and therefore we don’t have the same opinion of ourselves that we used to have.
Self-esteem is something that you build over time, when you become a healthy and happy person. Unfortunately, narcissists often lack the self-esteem to do the things necessary to achieve their goals. They lack the self-confidence to try new things, they lack the courage to take on higher responsibilities, and they definitely lack the self-esteem to stand up for themselves and their ideals. With that said, it’s important that we all work on building our self-esteem, because if we don’t, then we risk turning others off to us – and then we’re not reaching our true potential.