To be selfish is to be focused on yourself. There are degrees of selfishness. At one extreme are narcissists, sociopaths and that person you dated in high school who turned out to be a lunatic. At this end of the spectrum are people who are psychologically incapable of thinking about anyone or anything but themselves.
The answer is probably yes, but psychologists say that it doesn't always mean it's wrong. Like Neapolitan ice cream, selfishness has three specific flavors—and only two of them are good. According to Psychology Today, there are three distinct types of selfish actions: the good, the bad, and the neutral.
Two types of selfishness: creative and destructive.
Psychology. Lack of empathy has been seen as one of the roots of selfishness, extending as far as the cold manipulation of the psychopath.
Many believe that humans are inherently selfish, but recent psychological research suggests this is not necessarily the case. University of Michigan researcher Felix Warneken has spent 17 years studying toddlers, and he's learned that kids display altruistic behaviors from a very young age.
Studies in behavior genetics show that around 40% of the willingness to help others is inherited. Those who do not help others help themselves, and anti-social behavior is inherited too. Depending on the genotypes of their parents, children may all be selfish, all altruistic or a mixture of both.
Narcissistic personality disorder involves a pattern of self-centered, arrogant thinking and behavior, a lack of empathy and consideration for other people, and an excessive need for admiration. Others often describe people with NPD as cocky, manipulative, selfish, patronizing, and demanding.
Selfishness is defined as placing concern with oneself or one's own interests, benefits or welfare above the well-being or regardless of the interests of others. Synonyms include egocentric, parsimonious, self-centered, self-indulgent, self-interested, self-seeking, wrapped up in oneself.
Selfishness may make it easier for us to fall into traps like addiction. Our selfishness can mean we hurt others as we ruthlessly strive to satisfy our own needs. Self-centeredness can damage our reputation and lead to loneliness. It destroys families.
Giving is one of the most selfish things you can do… Denzel Washington puts it this way: "The most selfish thing you can do in this world is helping someone else, because the gratification, the goodness that comes to you, the good feeling, the good feeling from helping others—nothing is better than that.
Selfish individuals tend to be focused on their own needs and desires, rather than those of others. They are often preoccupied with themselves and their own interests. Those who are selfish tend to make everything about them to the point that they can make the people around them feel unseen.
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is one of several personality disorders. People with this condition have an inflated idea of themselves and a need for lots of attention from other people. It's human nature to be selfish and boastful now and then, but true narcissists take it to an extreme.
Rana Khan, a registered psychotherapist in Toronto, says selfishness becomes toxic when it begins to negatively impact those close relationships. “More often than not, the best way to evaluate/check yourself is the opinion that other people hold of us and how they are impacted by our behaviour,” he said.
A narcissist will never feel empathy for others no matter how cruel he can be – there won't be any guilt, while a selfish spouse can still feel guilt and empathy.
Selfish people feel that they deserve anything and everything, which means that it's difficult for them to accept when things don't go their way.
ego·cen·tric ˌē-gō-ˈsen-trik also ˌeg-ō- 1. : limited in outlook or concern to one's own activities or needs. 2. : being self-centered or selfish.
Some mental health problems can contribute to the development of selfishness. Many personality disorders, particularly antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder, cause people to be so wrapped up in their own desires that they either do not notice or do not care about the needs of others.
Specifically, female narcissists are less entitled, impulsive, aggressive, and more empathetic than males diagnosed with NPD. Female narcissists also may display certain distinct traits such as a preoccupation with their appearance or being more prone to envy and jealousy than males.
Self-centered people are not necessarily narcissistic. They can still be empathic, while narcissists may simply see others as pawns.
The preoperational stage occurs from 2 to 6 years of age, and is the secondstage in Piaget's stages of cognitive development. Throughout most of thepreoperational stage, a child's thinking is self-centered, or egocentric.
A recent study published in Psychological Science suggests that people across the globe are becoming more individualistic over time. Individualism, as opposed to collectivism, relates to how independent and self-reliant (and self-centered) people are.