Narcissus viewed his reflection in the stable, reflective surface of a still pond, and was so enamored by his reflection that he fell in love with himself. Nothing — not even the love of the beautiful nymph, Echo — drew him away from himself. Her attention, in fact, drew him further into his reflection, for her words of affirmation became justifications for the grandiosity with which he perceived his image.
Narcissus’s steadfast commitment to gazing upon his reflection reflects the ego attachment that is the conceptual basis for narcissism. Freud described this attachment in “On Narcissism” (1914) as treating the ego like a love object, thus precluding the narcissist’s development of attachments to anything other than the ego because all energy is invested in maintaining love for it. It is in this sense that the narcissist knows only their ego, and experiences life as a reflection of themselves.
I am writing to expand on the role environments and relationships play in maintaining narcissism by reflecting back the narcissist’s image. I will first explain the conceptual dilemma that underlies Narcissus’s attachment to his reflection in order to account for why narcissists continually attempt to control environments and manipulate interpersonal relationships. I will then expand upon the contradictions and complications that follow from perceiving the world as a mirror to explain why narcissists engage in abusive behaviors. I will conclude by offering suggestions about what it means to break the narcissist’s mirror and how this applies to everyday…
