You’re so vain, I bet you think that this is about you.
in Greek mythology, Narcissus came upon a pool of water and, upon seeing his reflection, fell in love. Captivated by his own image, he refused to leave the object of his desire, and withered away in front of it. In his place, all that remained was a golden daffodil.
These days ‘narcissist’ has become something of a buzzword, carelessly tossed about in daily conversation, usually accompanied by an eye-roll. When you hear the word, you may think of your overbearing mother-in-law, your selfie-obsessed friend or the most obvious example, Donald Trump.
But in fact, the term refers to a serious personality disorder, one that Trump may well be suffering from – The Atlantic recently argued that he exhibited all the classic signs of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).
Trump aside, Renata Schoeman, a psychiatrist and professor at Stellenbosch University’s Business School, believes the casual use of the word has trivialised the seriousness of the condition. ‘People often say they have depression, yet they’re just having a bad day,’ she says. ‘Or someone is a bit scatterbrained at work and claims to have ADHD. This dilutes the diagnosis and increases
