Narcissism and the Limits of Self-Esteem

People with low self-esteem

• Vulnerable to anxiety, loneliness, and eating disorders

• Take a negative view of everything

• Prefer understanding responses, even if they are negative

People with high self-esteem

• Motivated to achieve

• Can sustain hope through failure/difficulties

• Take initiative, are resilient, and have pleasant feelings

• Self-esteem should be moderately rooted in reality, if not, shows up as narcissism

How important/impactful is self-esteem?

• Not the key for success

• Can backfire when actively pursued

• When people focus on boosting self-esteem, they may become less open to criticism, less likely to empathize, and more pressured to succeed at activities rather than enjoy them

• Need for self-compassion

• Leaving behind comparisons with others and instead treating oneself with kindness

• Happiness: when one does something worthwhile

Narcissism

• Inflated sense of self, including overconfidence

• Not a formula for success

Narcissists

• Can be outgoing/charming early in relationships, but self-centeredness leads to issues in the long run

• See themselves more positively than how others see them

• Admit their arrogance and exaggerate their abilities

• More narcissistic tendencies as years go on

• In collectivistic cultures, narcissism is less prevelant

Self-Efficacy

• Sense that one is competent and effective, distinguished from self-esteem, which is one’s self-worth

• A sharpshooter in the military might feel high self-efficacy and low self-esteem

• Leads people to set challenging goals and to persist

• Leads people to stay calm and seek solutions rather than ruminate on their inadequacy

• Grows with hard-won achievements

• Children and adults with strong feelings of self-efficacy are: more persistent, less anxious/depressed, healthier, more academically successful