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narcissism

nar·cis·sism [ nrssə sìzzəm ]


noun 
Definition:
 
1. self-admiration: excessive self-admiration and self-centeredness

2. personality disorder: in psychiatry, a personality disorder characterized by the patient's overestimation of his or her own appearance and abilities and an excessive need for admiration. In psychoanalytic theory, emphasis is placed on the element of self-directed sexual desire in the condition.

[Early 19th century. After Narcissus]

nar·cis·sist noun
nar·cis·sis·tic [ nrssə sístik ] adjective
nar·cis·sis·tic·al·ly adverb
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