Everyone needs a reasonable degree of self-love to function normally. However, some people love themselves so much that it destroys their relationships with others. This is called egotism, which is an aspect of narcissism. A person may become egotistical as a result of getting too much attention or from being neglected by those close to them, Egotism displays itself in excessive levels of conceit, pride and a belief that one is better than everybody else.
It’s All About Me
The sign that people will most easily recognize when in a social situation is that the egotistical person must be the centre of attention. The conversation simply can’t flow freely because the egotist constantly breaks in to make the point be about themself. There may be an excessive use of the pronouns “I,” “me” and “myself.” They must be the center of attention at all times and will go to great lengths to claim the focus. You may find that you spend more time listening to them talk than saying anything yourself.
It’s All About the Bling
It’s normal to want enough money to meet our needs and to buy nice things. For the egotistical person, that concept may be taken to an extreme. They will spend a lot of time, money and attention on dressing well and taking care of their body. They buy nice clothes and expensive things so that they can appear more important and successful than they actually are. It may be for this reason that the egotistical person will make friends easily, as people are drawn to their attractiveness and the glitz of their possessions and status.
The Potential to Be Violent
Hell has no fury like a completely self-absorbed person who has their ego insulted. Having an inflated ego can cause a person to act violently and become aggressive, according to research conducted by psychologists Roy Baumeister and Brad Bushman in their study “Threatened Egotism, Narcissism, Self-Esteem, and Direct and Displaced Aggression: Does Self-Love or Self-Hate Lead to Violence?” If an egotistical person feels that they are not getting the attention and recognition they deserve, they are quite likely to react negatively.
Gross Exaggeration
The egotist may also exaggerate excessively, sometimes to the point where the claim is too outlandish to be true. Often this is after others make statements about themselves. For example, if someone says, “One of my favorite shows is Star Trek,” the egotist may say, “I was a candidate for the space program, but after spending some time at NASA orientation decided that it wasn’t right for me.”
Important Note:
Please be reminded that the information presented in this article is in no way a basis for diagnosis of any personality trait or disorder and is solely meant for informational and educational purposes. Personality types such as egotism or narcissism are reliably diagnosed using evidence-based tools of assessment in formal settings by a trained and licensed mental health provider or medical practitioner.
