Freud defines narcissism
Freud defines narcissism as an adoration, an individual gives himself when in light of being objects of desire. He further argues that every human being possesses this trait in their development. According to Samuels (2019), 1914 was a critical year for Freud to develop his theories on narcissism. He says there are two types of narcissism which are primary, which exists in all human beings and is present from birth. In contrast, secondary narcissism occurs when an individual turns the affection; they have on objects to themselves. For example, the mother’s love for her children is a result of primary narcissism. This trait makes a person to seek self-preservation due to their inability to show appreciation to other people and hence show it on themselves. Freud argues that in childhood, an individual is driven by different forces; for example, the sex drive, and the need to self-preserve. As people grow in life, their primary narcissism tends to shift to objects because of the much conflict within an individual. When this happens, an individual becomes cut off from society and tends to dislike what others do, and these lead to low self-esteem. This is caused by the inability of an individual to show affection to others, making the person be guilty and defensive (Shulman, 2018).
During childhood, these forces are the same, and no difference can be made, and the concept of love is to ensure that there is a continuation of species (Dean, 2017). When an individual develops more love for others object libido, then he or she loses self-love ego libido, and for an individual to survive, there is a need to balance between the two libidos. Freud postulates in the ego ideal that as one grows, he or she tends to develop self-censorship. He further states that the ego ideal could be the cause of voice in mentally ill patients. However, through the satisfaction of the ego ideal, self-esteem is weighed (Dean, 2017). The love a person is able to derive from his or her object of desire depends on the self-esteem of the person. In the current society are some of the narcissistic people where both the young and old have no empathy on each other and are driven by selfish interests. Besides, a person’s sense of himself develops as a child interacts with the outside world and starts to learn the norms and cultural expectations leading to the development of an ego ideal. When a person transfers his love to another individual
Freud uses this concept to explain the cause of homosexuality. According to Blass (2019), the relationship between the mother and the child directs his or her affection towards her mother. Individuals who are Homosexuals choose different object of their choice according to Freud. This people tend to choose different objects to show love to thus ending up being gay. Also, Freud argues that the behavior of beautiful women is narcissism hidden in self-adoration. These women tend to look for an individual who will admire them in the same way they love themselves. Such women are highly attractive to men due to their indifference. Therefore, such women value themselves and seek men who will provide all their basic needs without struggle.