Egolatría: 12 features and attitudes of the ególatras people

April 3, 2024

The concept of egotism it is used to refer to several features and attitudes that certain people present. The term egocentrism comes from the Greek "ego" (me) and "latria" (worship, admiration), and has implications in the world of psychology, since indicates a certain personality type .

Egolatría: a definition of the concept

The Royal Spanish Academy defines egomania as "worship, adoration or excessive love of oneself".

Egogy is, then, a characteristic of the personality of some individuals, in which they constantly show a confidence in their own potential , falling into self-admiration and into self-worship, to the point where this exaggerated perception can be pathological and cause problems in social interactions.

How are egomaniac people?

Individuals with ego-related traits and characteristics often generate rejection among people around them. In addition, the egomaniac personality has been present in many historical figures.

For example, in biographies and historiographical documents, they testify that Adolf Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte, Gengis Khan and Josif Stalin were historical figures with a markedly egomaniac character. At present, perhaps the most popular reference is the tycoon and current president of the United States, Donald Trump.

In this sense, egotism is often related to other concepts, such as self-centeredness, narcissism, pride, excessive self-esteem, false self-confidence or megalomania.

Although there are aspects in which these concepts coincide, there are also some important differences and nuances. In any case, it should be borne in mind that egocytry refers to a subjective perception of the individual, how he perceives his worth, in this case in an exaggeratedly positive way. But nevertheless, Egogy tells us little about the translation of this perception to interpersonal relationships . That is to say: an egomaniac person can be and yet the people of his environment may not perceive it as especially vain or arrogant.

When this feature is compensated

Reading the meaning of the word egomania, we may think that it is a characteristic that produces rejection. However, in some cases being selfish is very practical. For example, when one's well-being depends on drawing attention.

This is the case of many celebrities, who they naturally express their grandiosity ideas through what they do, say and pretend to be; this makes them receive the attention of the cameras and keep charging more thanks to it.

12 traits and attitudes in common

But nevertheless, it is common for egomaniac people to tend to externalize this trait through certain attitudes and behaviors that can be rejected by other individuals.

Some of these attitudes, behaviors and traits are those described below:

They have an exaggerated perception of their attributes and qualities
They attach great importance to money and power
They have feelings of greatness: they are sure that in their lives they will achieve great goals and objectives
Although they can enjoy social skills more than enough, they tend to be rather lonely individuals, since they often generate a certain social rejection when other people realize their self-love
They tend to show great attachment to all aspects that reinforce their image of successful people
They like to generate envy and jealousy in others
They can tend to superficiality, carving instrumental friendships that allow them to achieve certain purposes and gain status
They distort reality, and in some cases they may have difficulty carrying out a rational analysis about their personal worth
In some cases, they may be people with little empathy, unwilling to offer help and support to other people
They can not stand receiving criticism and take it personally
They can tend to constantly compare themselves with others, getting angry if they consider that someone of lesser value is that they are in a better job or have a better life.
In some cases a tendency to exhibitionism is perceived, for example, boasting material and economic achievements, as a way to reinforce their self-perception of people of great value and social status.

Causes and motivations of this type of individuals

From the psychological point of view, there are many factors and motivations that can lead to a person developing this characteristic. The ego is a trait associated with certain emotional and emotional deficiencies , since it is usually understood from the psychology that a person with a balanced emotional intelligence does not need to perceive itself as something that it is not.

In this sense, egotism could be a warning signal of people who, paradoxically, suffer emotional, emotional or even suffer from some underlying mental disorder. The egomania would be, in somewhat metaphorical terms, a flight forward of people who camouflage their insecurity in this type of hyperbolic thoughts and beliefs about their abilities and potentialities in life.

From the social point of view, Egogytry is understood as the reflection or consequence of a commodified and classist society in the personality of some individuals . The differences between social classes and their lifestyle could generate a constant competition between individuals to achieve their status, which would be a perfect breeding ground for individualism, careerism, the undervaluation of certain moral principles, and also the egolatría as a characteristic of the personality adapted to this competitive environment and in which appearances prevail over other qualities. Thus, the desire for success in life can be a starting point that, poorly managed, can lead to developing personalities and problematic and limiting attitudes.

The ególatras people can be able to carry out projects and companies of great magnitude , but at the same time they may have difficulties when establishing deep relationships with other people.

Egolatrics and the education received

However, egolatría is not a trait exclusively focused on obtaining money or power, but it can have diverse motivations . The egomaniac personality style can have several causes, including the type of education and parenting style that the individual has received.

A too permissive and complacent parenting style with the child can generate problems such as oppositional defiant disorder (TOD), also known as the Emperor's syndrome, in which the child challenges the authority of the parents and acts in a capricious way to achieve all that What does he want. This type of education received could lead to a personality centered on the self during adulthood.

Recapitulating: social relationships and difficulties

Egogy can be a trait that causes serious difficulties in interpersonal relationships , since the individual can present several behaviors and attitudes that generate rejection in other people.

However, in certain contexts personalities characterized by egomania can be socially rewarded; for example, in the case of famous people who are always looking for new ways to reinvent themselves and to stand out; This would help them keep their cache high and continue to receive income and power of influence.

On the other hand, when a person considers himself to be superior and more valuable than others, he usually perceives other people as unimportant, useless and dispensable. This generates a feeling of rejection in their environment of friends and acquaintances, because few people are willing to tolerate being treated with contempt.

It is important to highlight that, although it may be complicated, ideally, egalitarian people can receive professional advice to try to restructure their perception of themselves , fact that will have a positive impact on your mental health and on the quality and quantity of your personal relationships, being able to enjoy a much fuller and happier life.

Bibliographic references:

Freud, Sigmund. Complete works. Volume XIV: Works on metapsychology, and other works (1914-1916), "Contribution to the history of the psychoanalytic movement." Chapter II: Introduction of Narcissism (1914). Buenos Aires / Madrid: Amorrortu, 1979.
Lasch, Christopher. The culture of narcissism. Editorial Andrés Bello, 1999.