Good Deeds Wrapped Up in Narcissistic Attitudes and Traits
Author: Jacob Ereste
Freelance Journalist
According to psychologists, narcissism can be caused by several factors. These include negative childhood experiences. A lack of affection or excessive praise can also cause acute narcissistic illness, which can be quite embarrassing.
Furthermore, an overly competitive environment or excessive praise can at least reinforce narcissistic attitudes and traits. Likewise, a lack of empathy—in the sense of an inability to understand the sensitivity of others’ feelings—can lead to a person becoming more self-focused.
What’s more serious is that narcissistic attitudes and traits are genetic. Various studies have shown that narcissism can have a genetic component.
However, in other cases, the effects of overly permissive or overprotective parenting can also shape narcissistic traits and attitudes. However, narcissism can generally be influenced by other factors, such as emerging from an innate personality that tends toward and opens up opportunities for excessive self-confidence, inherited from family or peer groups, which have long and intensively fostered traits and attitudes that lead to narcissism.
Thus, excessive self-confidence can be a source of narcissistic traits and attitudes. This is due to the constant desire for praise and recognition, which are not essential for developing a career or profession, which should only be marked by tangible achievements or work results.
As a result, people with excessive self-confidence often lack self-awareness or struggle to engage in introspection to appear more modest and avoid appearing arrogant.
This overconfident attitude and behavior are usually highly dependent on validation from others to maintain their self-confidence, which can actually exacerbate narcissistic traits and behaviors that have exceeded the generally considered appropriate and appropriate level of self-esteem.
Excessive self-confidence is certainly more dangerous because it carries a greater risk of psychological impact on the individual. At a minimum, narcissistic attitudes and traits are predominantly characterized by difficulty accepting criticism, even simple input or suggestions, even when they would actually result in something better. This is why so many suggestions and opinions are rejected or even refuted when presented, but ultimately used secretly without ever acknowledging that the ideas and concepts were previously proposed by others.
This is the negative result of excessive self-confidence, which leads to a lack of recognition and appreciation for others’ opinions or concepts, even though they are ultimately used, without ever acknowledging that they originated from them. And even worse, people with narcissistic traits and attitudes are usually unwilling to acknowledge or praise others, let alone express gratitude for the suggestions or opinions they have used to achieve their own ambitions, which have been brimming with image, without ever thinking of repaying the kindness and immense benefits.*
Pecenongan, August 12, 2025
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