According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, narcissism means “self-love; specifically, excessive interest in one’s own appearance”. It has also been referred to as emotional immaturity.
In Greek mythology, Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Leiriope. He was a beautiful young man who refused the love of any woman, including the nymph Echo. One day, while drinking from the water of a fountain, he saw his own reflection on the water and began to be obsessed with it.
The obsession became very serious that he later became so distraught because he could not touch or embrace his own reflected image that he died. His body was not found, instead in his place laid a flower that was purple in the inside with surrounding white leaves. The flower was later named after him.
According to another source, Narcissus consoled himself and sat gazing into the water to remind himself of the features of his look-alike twin sister who had died. Yet another claimed that he leaned over too much and fell into the lake where he saw his reflection and drowned.
Today, there are at least 40 species of the narcissus flower.
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Chapter: Narcissism ::
26 April 2007
