Do you have a self-centered personality?

The egocentric personality is a set of characteristics and behaviors that are usually linked to arrogance, ambition and in some cases, exhibitionism. Those who manifest this type of personality They tend to believe themselves to be the center of others’ gaze, concerns and attention.

Thus, egocentrism defines those people for whom the opinion of others is not important, emphasizing their own. When we say that someone is egocentric, we mean that that person only sees the world from their point of view, that is, they lack the ability to empathize and do not care about the consequences that their actions have on others. Let’s dig deeper.

The development of the egocentric personality

In the first years of our lives, we are all self-centered for the simple fact that we have not yet developed the ability to think about others. However, as we reach maturity and our cognitive system develops, in our minds others become visible as independent individuals.

Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget studied egocentrism as part of child development. He observed that young children seem cognitively unable to assimilate another person’s perspective. So, for example, when they play hide and seek they tend to cover their eyes thinking that since they can’t see, others won’t be able to find them either.

In adolescence, the egocentric personality becomes evident especially in relationships with peers. Young people think that they are more special and much more important than others. This makes them consider themselves the center of attention, since they consider that they are the only ones who, because of what they say or do, arouse interest. Furthermore, they feel misunderstood because they believe that others, mainly adults, do not have, nor have they had, feelings similar to theirs.

Once we have reached maturity, that feeling of exclusivity fades as we understand that there are different points of view and perspectives. However, there are people who maintain this egocentric trait as part of their way of being, which In psychology it is considered a cognitive bias, That is, a distortion in the processing of information that leads to an erroneous interpretation of what is happening around us.

5 traits that define the egocentric personality

Now that we know what the development of egocentrism consists of and that somehow We have all experienced it in our childhood and adolescence, We are going to explain the main characteristics that are present in the egocentric personality.

Lack of empathy

The lack of empathy in the egocentric personality implies an inability or difficulty to get out of oneself and be able to understand or feel what another person is experiencing.

The person with little empathy lives immersed in their reality and ignores the world of others, their problems and their feelings. She will look out for her own good in a selfish and uncommitted way with her surroundings and will think that everyone should act, think and feel like her.

Unattainable goals

Egocentrics, due to their feelings of grandeur, focus on the constant search for success, power, love and wealth with the aim of staking. And therefore, l The struggle to achieve these unrealistic goals often leads to frustration.

In many cases, this will end up leading to an overload of stress and anxiety that will negatively affect self-esteem. Furthermore, your unattainable goals will have a direct impact on your future enthusiasm when setting new goals.

Lack of selfesteem

The egocentric personality is characterized by a great disguise of security towards others but that in reality hides a deep feeling of insecurity and low self-esteem. The artificial security they transmit is due to the fact that they believe that everything they think is true, for the simple fact that their opinions are worth more than those of the rest.

According to psychoanalyst Erich Fromm, egocentrism is a defense mechanism; That is, it would be an unconscious psychological strategy to not face reality and maintain self-image.

Exhibitionism

The egocentric personality also manifests itself in certain attitudes such as motivation for the pleasure of feeling flattered and admired. This is usually observed in the excessive desire to expect to be rewarded with praise from others and also in a permanent need to monopolize attention.

On the other hand, the egocentric needs unconditional admiration through control of the ideas, actions and behaviors of those around him.

Manipulation or emotional blackmail

Egocentrics use emotional blackmail and continuous manipulation to compensate for their feelings of insecurity. They only care about others to get something in return.

As we see, the most common characteristics of this type of personality can pose a problem both for the person and for the relationships they maintain with others. However, identifying egocentrism is the first step to managing it and moving towards change.

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