The story of Narcissus, who only knew how to love himself

Handsome, selfish and vain. Narcissus is one of the figures from Greek mythology that has aroused the most interest in the world of psychology and psychiatry.. Like most legends and traditions that we preserve from this time, such stories always contain a moralizing message. The striking thing is that such advice never expires and invites deep reflection.

What you learn from this young man is that pathological self-love has its punishment. Because those who only see their own person and despise others, sooner or later, become trapped in the void of loneliness. This story also served to give a name to a psychological disorder that, without a doubt, you know very well. Below, we delve into all of these ideas.

The legend of Narcissus

Currently, we consider the Latin version of the present legend as the most classic and representative. It was Ovid who told us in his third book of Metamorphosis (8 AD) this story. He did so through one hundred and fifty verses with which to trace, in detail, the sad events that surrounded the lives of Narcissus and the nymph Echo.

The prediction about the most beautiful young man

In Thespiae, Boeotia, there lived a young man who responded to the name of Narcissus. He was the son of the river god Cephisus and the nymph Liríope and, his most distinctive feature was, without a doubt, his perfect appearance and a beauty that defied the gods themselves. His mother, worried about her son’s future, wanted to consult with the psychic Teresíaswhat would be the future of his offspring.

What the fortune teller revealed to him was clear. The boy would live to an advanced age, as long as he did not see himself. Faced with this revelation, she chose to remove all the mirrors so that she would never see her own image. But he was well aware of her attractiveness because of the effect she had on others. In fact, he loved receiving other people’s admiration from her.

An ego that broke hearts

Narcissus had never seen his reflection, and yet he didn’t need to. He took pride in the looks he received from others, the sighs he raised, and the hearts he broke. It was almost inevitable not to fall in love with him. Both men and women tried to approach him, seduce him and even entertain him with wealth. But it was useless. He only loved himself.

A clear example of the pain it generated was represented by a beautiful young woman. Echo was a nymph from Mount Helicon who tried to enchant young Narcissus with her beautiful and innocent voice.. In fact, ancient myths and legends said that this female deity could articulate the most beautiful words ever heard.

However, She carried with her a curse that the goddess Era projected on her person out of jealousy. Fearful that she would dazzle Zeus, she took away her voice, causing her to only be able to articulate the last word of whoever addressed her.

The meeting with Echo

Eco’s love was so strong that he tried in infinite ways to get closer to his admired Narciso. One day, when he was 16 years old and was in the woods hunting deer, she followed him to let him know of her deep feelings.

When the young man noticed a presence behind him, he asked: “Who is there?”, and Eco responded: “There.” Narciso, surprised by that unusual response, tried once more. “Why do you run away from me?”. To which, the young woman could not help but say: “You run away from me.” Intrigued, the boy did not hesitate to say then: “Let’s meet here.”

Upon hearing those last words, Eco did not think about it and appeared before him coming out of the bushes. Narcissus, upon seeing her, instantly disowned her, addressing her with ridicule and unkind terms. Echo, broken with pain from rejection, withdrew from the world to a cave where only her voice remained. But first, he asked the goddess of revenge to act.

Nemesis curses Narcissus

Before Echo vanished forever, He asked Nemesis to make Narcissus feel the bitter pain of unrequited love. And that demand was heard. When Narcissus went one day to the River Styx to cool off, he discovered the reflection of his own face in the waters. He was spellbound.

There, bent over, he witnesses for the first time its powerful beauty. It is he, as beautiful as the god Apollo, with his ivory neck, his perfect mouth and his eyes of a captivating shine. He is so attracted to his image that he cannot tear himself away from the surface; to the point of stopping eating and drinking.

At one point, his love for himself is so uncontrollable that he feels an uncontrollable desire to kiss each other. That’s when he falls into the waters and drowns. The vision of the soothsayer Teresías is fulfilled. If he had not seen his reflection, his life would have been longer.

A flower that blooms in winter

Where the young man sat for so long, delighting in its beauty, a flower grew that would bear his name and that blooms in winter: Narcissus. As a curiosity, The art world has represented this image on various occasions. You have, for example, the beautiful painting by Dalí that he painted in 1937 representing this transformation.

You can also find John William Waterhouse’s classic canvas, with Echo and Narcissus in the River (1903).

The myth of Narcissus in psychology

Works published in the American Psychological Association, point out how throughout history vanity has been a dimension sanctioned by various areas, both religious and social. However, It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the myth of narcissism began to appear in the area of ​​psychiatry.

The Austrian psychoanalyst Otto Rank first published various descriptions of this personality profile in 1911. Just three years later, Sigmund Freud himself would present his well-known work Introduction to narcissism (1914). From then on, this concept gradually established itself in the field of psychology.

Once Raskin and Hall developed the first inventory to measure narcissistic personality in 1979, we already had a mechanism with which to detect this profile. But the real step towards recognizing this characteristic as a clinical entity came only a few months later, when the third edition of the DSM-V established the criteria for its diagnosis.

Characteristics of narcissism

Throughout history, psychology has viewed the myth of Echo and Narcissus with great curiosity. In some way, the young nymph symbolizes dedication to the other, while Narcissus, locked in his egomania, traces this disorder dominated by the need for attention and hostile interpersonal treatment. Let’s see the characteristics that define it:

Lack of empathy: Narcissism only seeks external recognition to reinforce its self-image and self-esteem. However, this profile is not aware of the realities and needs of others. They are figures incapable of deciphering emotions, of putting themselves in other people’s shoes.Distorted self-image: Just as Narcissus fell in love with his own image, people with narcissistic tendencies have clear difficulties in seeing their own defects by having an idealized vision of themselves.Relationships: The present myth offers us a very illustrative canvas of how men and women with narcissistic traits harm others with their treatment. A work published in Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation highlighted the impact of living with a pathological narcissist.Isolation: Narcissus isolated himself from society and remained trapped in his own image, until he died. In psychology, a clinical picture that has some similarities is often observed. These patients end up isolated; in fact, they frequently lead to other comorbid disorders such as depression.

A legend with a very real background

Although myths often contain fantastic or supernatural elements, they are rooted in human experiences that are very close to us. Ancient Greece is very rich in these types of stories that trace personalities and behaviors that are easy to identify. There we have, for example, the Diogenes Syndrome or the Ulysses Syndrome.

Narcissus is almost an archetype that has accompanied us throughout time and that, although Carl Jung did not describe it, has a clear reflection in our society. There will always be people dominated by an overestimation of themselves. What the legend undoubtedly teaches us is that this behavior generates interpersonal damage and leads to self-destruction.. And such risk is real.

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