Who is a self-centered person. Egocentric. Who is an egocentric

the inability of the individual, focusing on his own experiences, interests, to change the initial cognitive position in relation to the object, opinion or representation, even in the face of information contradicting his experience.

I-CONCEPT is a relatively stable, more or less conscious, experienced as a unique system of ideas of an individual about himself, on the basis of which he builds his interaction with other people and relates to himself.

EGOCENTRISM

the inability of the individual, focusing on his own interests, to change the initial cognitive position in relation to an object, opinion or representation, even in the presence of information that contradicts his experience. The roots of egocentrism lie in the subject's misunderstanding that it is possible for the existence of other, opposite points of view, in the presence of an implicit confidence that the psychological organization of other people is identical to his own. Overcoming egocentrism is based on the consistent development of the ability to decentrate. Egocentrism manifests itself most clearly in early childhood and is generally overcome by the age of 12-14; a tendency towards its some strengthening is also noted in old age. In specific studies, various types of egocentrism are considered:

1) cognitive egocentrism - characterizes the processes of perception and thinking;

2) moral egocentrism - indicates an inability to perceive the grounds for moral actions and actions of other people;

3) communicative egocentrism - observed when the subject transfers information to other people, it consists in neglecting differences in thesauri, semantic content of concepts, etc. Overcoming egocentrism in each of these areas can occur relatively independently.

EGOCENTRISM

ego + lat. centrum - center). 1. Personal characteristics, characterized by the advancement of the motives of one's own mental life, one's views, interests, while ignoring the interests and judgments of others. It is observed in patients with epilepsy, psychopathic personalities. 2. Delusional E. is observed in the process of delusion, when the patient, according to K. Conrad, cannot make a "Copernican turn", that is, when he is in captivity of his own "I" - everything that happens around, according to the patient's ideas, has a direct attitude.

See also The Phenomenon of Appropriation.

Egocentrism

Looking at the world only from your personal perspective, regardless of the views of other people. In the developmental theory of Jean Piaget, egocentrism is considered a characteristic of the child at the preoperative stage of development. In Piaget's original experiment with three mountain peaks, young children were asked to explain what the mountains look like when viewed from a different perspective. The fact that they could not do this (choosing one species that opened up to them) was considered evidence of their self-centeredness. In subsequent experiments using more familiar situations (for example, in the problem of a policeman and a naughty boy), it was shown that children are capable of decentration at a much earlier age than Piaget and other researchers originally assumed.

Egocentricity (or egocentricity)

As the root of the term suggests, the direction in which a person is self-centered and relatively insensitive to others. When used in relation to adults, it implies self-absorption and self-focus. When used in relation to children, especially in the context of Piaget's theory, it refers to speech and thoughts subject to the child's inner self-knowledge.

EGOCENTRISM

from lat. ego - I and centrum - the center of the circle) - the inability of the individual, focusing on his own interests, to change the initial cognitive position in relation to some object, opinion or representation, even in the face of information contradicting his experience.

Egocentrism

in developmental psychology) [lat. ego - I + centrum - center] is a characteristic of an individual position, a property of thinking and human behavior, which consists in the inability to understand and take into account other points of view and positions. In contrast to egoism, the term "E." does not carry a moral burden. The concept of E. was developed within the framework of Gestalt psychology and in the school of genetic epistemology by J. Piaget. Egocentrism manifests itself most clearly in early childhood and is generally overcome by the age of 12-14; a tendency towards a certain increase in egocentrism is also noted in old age. In specific studies, various types of egocentrism are considered: 1) cognitive e., Which characterizes the processes of perception and thinking; 2) moral E., testifying to the inability to perceive the grounds for moral actions and actions of other people; 3) communicative e., Observed when the subject transfers information to other people and consists in neglecting the differences between thesauri, the semantic content of concepts, etc. Overcoming e. In each of these spheres can be carried out relatively independently of each other. It is carried out on the basis of the consistent development of the ability for decentration and "permeability to experience." As M. Wertheimer noted, problems for egocentric thinking remain insoluble as long as the subject is focused on his desires and needs; these problems become solvable only if desire is viewed as part of the situation and is recognized as an objective structural component of the task. According to Piaget, the path of childhood development is a movement from E. to a more objective position in the knowledge of the world. Piaget distinguishes between three main levels of E.: 1) lack of distinction between subject and object by a child under 1.5 years old; 2) insufficient differentiation between his own and another point of view by a child up to 7-8 years old, which gives rise to such features of a preschooler's thinking as syncretism, animism, artificalism; 3) the adolescent's belief in the limitless possibilities of his own thinking and his ability to transform the world around him (llz-14 years). K. N. Polivanova

Egocentrism

the psychological mechanism of exaggeration of an individual's attempt to enhance the significance of his “I” by constant striving to draw the attention of others, while emphasizing his own significance and value. This mechanism is aimed at increasing low, self-esteem, but is primitive, trivial and even harmful.

Egocentrism

the individual's concentration on himself and the relative insensitivity to others, absorption in himself, the assessment of everything through the prism of his personality, involvement in it.

Universal worship developed in her selfishness, natural among spoiled children, who, like the august persons, look at everyone and everything as fun (O. Balzac, Country House).

Serebryakov. It's a strange thing, Ivan Petrovich will speak ... - and everyone listens, but if I say at least one word, everyone starts to feel unhappy. Even my voice is disgusting. Well, let’s say, I’m disgusting, I’m an egoist, I’m a despot - but do I really not even in old age have some right to be selfish? Didn't I deserve it? Really, I ask, I have no right to late old age, to people's attention? (A. Chekhov, Uncle Vanya).

Wed: Don't you know that each of us claims that he suffered more than others? (O. Balzac, Shagreen leather).

Wed selfishness.

Egocentrism

1. perception of the world, in which the individual considers himself to be its center, the inability to see what is happening and himself through the eyes of other people, from some other position. Normally, it is characteristic of children who, as they develop, acquire the ability to "decentrate", to perceive the world from other points of view, including generally accepted or determined by impersonal, fundamental values. Overcoming egocentrism is a serious problem not only for the layman, but also for scientists who are inclined to consider the processes and phenomena of the surrounding world from the position with which they have firmly identified themselves. So, the recognition that this Earth revolves around the Sun, and not vice versa, was given to many people with great difficulty and not to everyone, even to the present, although in a purely intellectual sense this mental operation does not present any difficulty even for a child. It is not recommended to equate egocentrism with egoism, with the desire to attract everyone's attention, with narcissism; 2. in psychopathology - a) the patient's feeling that he is at the center of all the events happening around him, the inability, according to K. Conrad (1959), to make a “Copernican turn”, to consider what is happening without regard to himself; b) the belief inherent in some psychopathic or deformed personality types that it is they who occupy a central position in society, all other people are only "human material" that serves to satisfy their ambitions.

Egocentrism

The term "egocentrism", introduced by Jean Piaget, is currently used to refer to far from identical psychology. phenomena. In the genetic psychology of J. Piaget, the concept of E. means a special stage in the development of the child's thinking and speech. In recent decades, E. has been characterized as the inability of a subject, focused on his own interests, to take into account opinions, interests, plans, i.e. sp. other people and coordinate them with their own. At first, psychologists used the term E. following J. Piaget to characterize the egocentrism of children's thinking and children's speech. Egocentric speech was understood as speech not addressed to anyone or speech from one's own so sp. L. S. Vygotsky, who confirmed the existence of egocentric speech, in the framework of the famous dispute with J. Piaget, considered it the predecessor of internal. speech in children, performing a regulatory function of the ext. activities. In the 1970s-1980s. the term E. is used to characterize personality traits and its position in O. and interaction, and since the 1990s. it is used more often to describe the behavior of a person, the characteristics of his O. and the characteristics of relations to other people. In this case, the phenomenon of E. is correlated with the system of values, the orientation of the personality, its position, and passes into the sphere of social psychology. research. One of the first communicative E. in adults was identified by J. Piaget himself. He described 2 egocentric phenomena, which are manifested as: a person's conversation with himself and speech, incomprehensible to other people. J. Piaget noticed that many people have the habit of saying aloud monologues in private. Moreover, an individual who speaks to himself experiences pleasure and excitement from this, which just distracts him from the need to communicate his thoughts to others. A conversation with oneself, carried out aloud, is a kind of monologue speech, which in some cases can indeed be classified as egocentric. A similar phenomenon was established by H. Schroeder in patients with schizophrenia. They are characterized by speech without taking into account the partner who is nearby and speech not addressed to the partner. Within the framework of psychotherapeutic and pathopsychol. studies by R. Assogioli, K. Leonhard and A. Lichko and it was found that accentuations and character traits, which can be called egocentric, have their own type of egocentric manifestation in a person in communication. Accentuated personalities have a wide variety of communicative E. In terms of form, all the diversity of communicative E. personality can be divided into 2 types: extroverted and inroverted. E. extroverted form is distinguished by the desire of a person to talk about himself or defend his opinion, position, i.e. sp. without taking into account the interests, capabilities and intentions of partners. E. of an introverted form, on the contrary, is a way of hiding one's opinion, this is the desire to preserve, to leave unchanged one's opinion, intention, etc. Communicative problems appear with excessive E. The measure of E. empirical referents E. In the structure of the communicative act distinguish between E. speaker, that is, the communicator, and E. listener, that is, the recipient. E. of both the speaker and the listener creates problems of understanding and negatively affects the coordination of opinions, joint decision-making and coordination of actions. It is important for the communicator to determine the presence of egocentricity in the presentation of the message. The egocentric presentation of the message should be considered the text, which is presented without taking into account the possibilities of its understanding by the recipient. In the recipient, egocentricity manifests itself in the egocentric interpretation of messages. The phenomenon of E. in the recipient is associated with the fact that he believes that he understood the message, although in fact he introduced a different meaning into it than the one that the communicator was trying to communicate. Def. measure of E. in O. performs the functions of self-presentation and is carried out in the form of egotism and retroflection. Egotism is the desire to talk about yourself, your environment, emphasizing the connection of other people with your person. Retroflection is also a story about oneself, but supplemented by reflection or introspection. However, excessive egotism and retroflection interfere with O. and distract participants from its subject. Communicative E. is not the same at different stages of ontogenesis. E. in preschoolers, primary schoolchildren, adolescents, and young men manifests itself in O. not only to varying degrees, but also in different ways. E. 3-year-old child and preschooler is associated with the need to achieve what you want, to act in your own way. In elementary school students, E. is determined by a lack of communicative experience with peers. At the same time, in O. with adults, elementary school students are less egocentric than with their peers. In adolescents, E. in O. is caused primarily by preoccupation with their person (see. Adolescent egocentrism). At the level of personality structure, E. manifests itself in the individual in his perception, thinking, worldview, attitudes and is set by self-esteem, the level of aspirations, position, on which the formation of egocentric relations depends. E. in O. depends on the individual characteristics of social perception and in the course of communication can perform the functions of self-affirmation. Cognitive, communicative and moral E. are distinguished. 1) Cognitive E. is found in perception and thinking as an inability or unwillingness to change the initial cognitive position to a certain object of perception, assessment, opinion, or representation. 2) Communicative E. is observed in a person during O. during transmission and reception of information. Its signs: failure to take into account thesauri and semantic content of concepts, distortion of the meaning of what is communicated. 3) Moral E. is associated with the inability or unwillingness of a person to perceive moral actions and deeds of other people and their own. It leads to egoism, that is, the use of other people to satisfy their own needs and interests, and to pragmatism as the desire to connect everything with which a person meets in life, only with his own benefit. Egocentric phenomena in O. are caused by a violation of the operational capabilities of communication: its paths from I to the Other begin to be one-sided. Lack of feedback easily gives rise to egocentric interpretations of message texts, as is the case in the conditions of mass communication. An increased desire of the individual for self-preservation or self-affirmation enhances E.T.O., E. manifests itself in O. in different ways, and this depends on many reasons associated with the state and development of the personality and on the conditions of O. Lit .: Pashukova T.I. Egocentrism: phenomenology, mechanisms of formation and correction. Kirovograd, 2001; Piaget J. Psychology of intelligence // Piaget J. Selected psychological works. M., 1969.T.I. Pashukova

Egocentrism is hidden under many masks and manifests itself in an infinite number of ways.

Man's belief that he is the center of the universe and that everything revolves around him works in true ninja style.

Self-centeredness is invisible to the eye, cunning and striking when you least expect it. It takes real courage for a person to honestly assess themselves and admit that they have fallen into the web of egocentrism.

Self-centeredness is most common in children and is a natural component of childhood. For example, a child hides under a blanket and sincerely believes that there are no others around either. The child thinks that they cannot see him, because he cannot see them. If a child is hungry, he thinks you are too. If the child likes Power Rangers and the like, he may think that this is the perfect gift for mom, because she should like it too.

The child's brain has not yet developed an understanding that others also exist in this world with their own needs.

As children grow up, their worldview tends to expand. For girls, this happens faster and better, while boys have more difficulty understanding other people's perspectives.

Often children, as adults, still exhibit self-centered behavior. Self-centeredness can take root in a person due to the way he is raised. Often the parents of such children lead a very liberal lifestyle, not giving them enough discipline. Self-centered people are often pampered or over-praised, and when they grow up, they see themselves in an unrealistic way.

Self-centeredness persists in all of us to some degree, simply because of our upbringing, education, and social influence (or lack thereof). However, self-centeredness should not be confused with complacency or self-centeredness (although they seem very similar on the surface).

Self-centeredness is a feeling of superiority over others, a feeling that you are the most important thing in the world, and all other people and their problems are not so important. All this leads to social problems, difficulties at work or school, the problem of creating and maintaining friendships, as well as family relationships - since a person values \u200b\u200bhimself more than these relationships. Egocentric thinking is when you think about something and think that everyone else thinks about it, or vice versa - you think that you think or feel the same as everyone else.

Key signs of self-centeredness

1. Disruption of communication.

The egocentric person does not understand how to read someone else's body language or the emotional state of another person, which makes it difficult for him to be healthy. He literally has to "fight" to communicate with other people. He does not "see" another person, does not understand his point of view, except for his own.

2. Low self-esteem.

While the self-centered person is usually perceived to be arrogant and proud, the root of the problem is often found in low self-esteem. With his seemingly self-centered behavior, this person tries to compensate for feelings of low self-esteem and insecurity. He may perceive the other person as a threat to his ego and thus defend himself.

3. Exaggeration.

Egocentrists have developed a whole superiority complex. They exaggerate their abilities and achievements in order to gain recognition. In turn, self-centered people also ridicule the lack of ability in others - in order to be perceived as more talented than others.

One characteristic of an egoist is that he is a big talker. If someone is constantly telling “big” stories about themselves that seem pretty dubious, they are probably exaggerating the situation or outright lying. For example, if someone says they own a luxury mansion in Spain, that could really mean that they own a small working-class apartment in the suburbs of Madrid.

4. Fantasy.

Self-centered people also tend to dream and talk about the achievement of ambitious goals, the success of their careers, external beauty, money or power.

5. Attention from the outside.

A classic symptom of egocentrism is attention seeking behavior. Such people are always looking for external verification and confirmation. If a person always strives to be the center of attention no matter where they are, they are probably egocentric.

6. Superiority over others.

When people are selfish, they often genuinely believe, or at least try to convince themselves that they are better and more important than others. As a consequence, it is not uncommon for a selfish person to “use” other people for her own personal gain.

7. Comparing yourself to others.

Because self-centeredness is often used by people to hide feelings of inferiority, the self-centered person can obsessively compare themselves to others who are less fortunate in order to feel better in their own lives.

8. Premature criticism.

Premature criticism of other people can also indicate self-centeredness. If a person always criticizes others without even giving them a chance to prove something, they may be afraid to acknowledge the other person's worth and talents. Excessive jealousy is a serious signal of this.

9. Selfishness.

Selfishness is also typical of self-centered behavior. Egoists can act as if no one else exists, and they constantly act as if other people have no feelings or emotions.

10. Hypersensitivity.

An egocentric person is often very sensitive and vulnerable, although he tries not to show it to people. As a result, he very quickly feels rejected, resentful and humiliated. Such people also often wear a "mask" of toughness, dispassion and coldness.

Over time, the egocentric person develops a whole complex of habits and ways of thinking and behavior, which mutually reinforce each other.

  • Egocentric Blindness - a tendency to overlook facts or evidence that contradict cherished beliefs or values.
  • "Egocentric memory" - the tendency to “forget” information that does not support our thinking, but to “remember” evidence and information that does it.
  • "Egocentric myopia" - intellectual myopia on the basis of a dogmatic, rigid and overly narrow point of view.
  • "One's own righteousness" - a delusional feeling of superiority over the general mass or "average" person, and the tendency to think that our beliefs are true just because we believe in them.
  • "Hypocrisy" - the tendency to ignore the blatant discrepancy between our thinking and behavior, or the discrepancy between the norms that we adhere to and those that we expect others to adhere to.
  • "Simplification" - a natural tendency to ignore real and important "complexities" in the world in favor of simple concepts, when taking into account these complexities will require us to change our beliefs and values.
  • "Generalization" - the tendency to generalize feelings and experiences so that when one event in our life is favorable or unfavorable, the whole life seems favorable or unfavorable.

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How to get rid of self-centeredness

The best thing you can do about an egocentric person is to be patient and instructive. Often times, he may simply be immature or lack empathy for other people. Time, education, and experience are probably the only "medicine" in this case.

If you notice self-centeredness in yourself, make a list of yours. Be honest with yourself. Understand that you have disadvantages where others have advantages.

Engage in joint activities with someone. When working with others, respect their opinions. Be positive about the work and efforts of others.

Read scientific and other articles and studies that will help open your mind to the opinions of others, teach you to think critically, and be less focused around your own opinion.

Please others. When making plans with family and friends, allow yourself to change your schedule, recognizing that their time is as valuable as yours.

Give your time for free to help others. By helping others, you will help yourself see the needs of others and satisfy them.

We hear such an expression as "egocentric personality" quite often.

But does everyone correctly interpret this term? Many people confuse the meaning of the word "egocentrism" with the signs of egoism in humans.

Of course, they have some common ground. However, egoism is somewhat different from egocentrism.

The meaning of the word "egoism" implies human behavior, which boils down only to promoting their interests and meeting their own needs.

A selfish person does not condemn someone else's opinion, but simply uses it to achieve his goals. Selfishness is often inherent in people suffering from an inferiority complex.

Egocentrism is a complete rejection of someone else's opinion. A person is sure that only his thoughts are correct, and everyone around is wrong.

This phenomenon is also called one-sided perception. For example, if an egocentric sees a zebra black with a white stripe, then he will never agree that it is white with a black stripe.

Don't worry when a child shows signs of self-centeredness. The egocentrism of children's thinking does not allow him to understand that someone thinks differently.

But if an adult constantly imposes his opinion on others and does not want to put up with anyone else, then this is already alarming.

How to recognize an egocentric person?

Self-centeredness in many adults is manifested in the following:

  • Man considers himself the center of the universe and only your thoughts are the most correct.
  • Egocentric does not perceive someone else's point of view... And he believes that everyone around him thinks wrong, they just do not know the whole truth.
  • Such a person believes that he is obliged to convince everyone who thinks differently.... Therefore, he persistently tries to convey his thoughts to them, considering them ideal.
  • Often dissatisfied with himself. But this feeling does not at all prevent him from respecting himself as a person and going about his business.
  • Only like-minded people are allowed into his social circle.

Of course, each person understands that the opinions of others may differ significantly from his own. But the interesting thing is that many are aware of this only theoretically.

Egocentrism does not allow taking this into account in practice. The most striking sign of egocentrism is the inability to put oneself in the shoes of another.

An egocentric person rarely succeeds in creating harmonious relationships with people. They do not have good friends, they are not liked at work, and there are constant quarrels in family relationships.

But egocentrism should not be confused with moderate egoism. An egoist can adjust to the situation for his own benefit. And the egocentric will never change his mind.

Family life with an egocentric

Self-centeredness is one of the main enemies of happy family relationships. Constant arguments, disagreements, unwillingness to compromise kill even the brightest feelings.

If you value your egocentric partner, try to choose the right behavior in dealing with him.

1. Don't openly question the uniqueness of the egocentric... This behavior will only make your soul mate angry, but you will not achieve the desired result. Despite his words that he is a genius and does not care for anyone's opinion, your partner should feel the admiration of others.

Be sure to praise your loved one, but only for the cause. For example, for help around the house, etc. The need for admiration will stimulate the egocentric to do things over and over that they are proud of.

2. Be honest with the egocentric about your feelings that the behavior triggers... Speak calmly, do not use accusatory language. A loving person will certainly hear your words and reconsider their behavior.

3. Carefully analyze the reasons that could have caused your partner's self-centeredness... If it is abandonment, awareness of your complexes, or feeling ashamed, treat self-centeredness as a vulnerability or a defensive reaction.

Try to rid your loved one of the main reason for alienation from everyone. This will help a confidential conversation with him.

4. After the next manifestation of egocentrism in your partner, try to express an understanding of his opinion. But at the same time, offer your own option of action, which should be thought out to the smallest details. Ask your loved one to make a decision together next time.

Manifestation of the problem in children

At the age of two to five, the child learns to build relationships with others, make concessions, and negotiate. To do this, he must learn to understand that there are people around him with different visions of the world.

The egocentrism inherent in a child at this stage of life often becomes a reason for conflict. For example, when the kid does not give his toy, but at the same time considers it normal to ask someone else's. Childish self-centeredness will manifest itself even if you speak to him with words of condemnation.

You should not attribute selfishness to the baby, at this age this state is not yet manifested. The child is unable to use others to achieve his goals. But he simply does not understand that there is a difference between desires and realities of life.

What should parents do?

When you learn to intelligently respond to your toddler's self-centeredness, you can correct your child's behavior.

In addition, you will be able to form a worthy personality out of him, who will easily find mutual understanding with people.

And this is of considerable importance for a normal life in society.

  • Role-play. This is one of the most effective methods in child psychology, which from an early age begins to blunt egocentrism. An adult must play the role of a greedy child. Take his favorite thing and say that it is yours, and you will not give it away. At first, the kid will believe you, but soon he will realize that you are kidding him.
  • Try to explain to your child the reason for your behavior... Due to the difference between child psychology and adult psychology, misunderstandings often arise between children and their parents. The child's brain cannot understand why it is necessary to do this. And to motivate your toddler to take action, you must substantiate your request.

Most often, the reasons for the self-centered behavior of an adult are laid down in childhood. This occurs, for example, in only children who were very spoiled by their parents. Or, on the contrary, with disliked children, whose opinion no one has ever considered.

But when egocentrism is acquired in adulthood, this, of course, has its own explanation. Patience and the right approach to a loved one will help you gradually rid him of this unpleasant trait.
Author: Vera Fractional

Egocentrism - the inability or inability of a person to take, understand, represent someone else's position; perception of one's opinion as the only true one. It is not synonymous, but sometimes it can be its extreme form, the next stage. The main difference between egoism and egocentrism is that the egoist represents other people, but ignores their interests; the egocentric does not represent and does not recognize the very fact of other people, there is only him.

At the same time, egocentrism is a feature of age or a consequence of psychological pathologies. Let's take a closer look at what egocentrism is and how to get rid of it.

Pathologically, egocentrism can be, for example, a consequence of autism, schizophrenia, hysteria. But this is more related to clinical psychology. This article will focus on the egocentrism of a mentally healthy person, but problematic from the standpoint of psychology.

Egocentrism literally translates as "I am the center of the circle." A person stubbornly does not see anything that happens outside the boundaries of the space he has drawn. Even if an individual feels obvious contradictions, it will never occur to him that there is a solution to them all around. The egocentric is limited in opportunities for a prosperous life.

An egocentric, that is, a person suffering from egocentrism, often finds himself in a situation or loneliness due to the fact that he does not recognize the right of others to their personal feelings, desires, needs and interests.

It is impossible not to note the variety of judgments and opinions of the egocentric regarding himself and some things regarding himself. Accordingly, the behavior of the egocentric is diverse.

Egocentrism affects the motives and behavior of the individual. For example, the egocentric is incapable of love. He is always not satisfied with something in a partner, first of all, his goals and interests. As a result, the egocentric becomes a tyrant for his partner:

  • envies;
  • jealous;
  • hates;
  • influences the life of a partner as he sees fit.

Of course, the egocentric tries to disguise his true desires and desires. However, if this fails, then he becomes angry and irritated even more.

A close person for an egocentric is a thing that he uses. Criminologists point out that egocentrists often become criminals.

In general, egocentrism is a childish trait, and it is forgiven only for children. Their thinking is just beginning to develop. For an adult, egocentrism is a sign of infantilism, immaturity of the personality, problems with.

  • A 3-5 year old child does not distinguish between subjective and objective, only closer to entering school he begins to understand that there are other points of view. And his opinion is not necessarily correct and certainly not the only one.
  • Gradually, the formation of self-awareness occurs, the child separates himself from the outside world. Of course, this is only possible with work and the help of parents. They convey verbally and visually that the child is not the only person in the world.
  • A repeated surge of egocentrism is observed in adolescence, which is associated with an identity crisis. With a favorable passage, egocentrism disappears.
  • Adults suffering from self-centeredness probably failed to adequately pass the stage of adolescent identity.

What's interesting: the egocentric is often dissatisfied with himself, but this does not prevent him from respecting only himself. At the same time, he tries to convince everyone else, because they, fools, are mistaken and themselves do not understand what they say and do. The egocentric teaches everyone to live. He does not perceive people as equals, although he can let like-minded people into his circle. And it would not be bad if the views of the egocentric did not change so often. And then people themselves must be some kind of voluntary masochists, weak-willed slaves.

Causes of self-centeredness

Egocentrism is a violation of personality identification, formation, and certainty of boundaries between a person and other people. As a result of the deformation of identity, he does not understand where his personality and desires are, and where the other person begins.

Together with this, a person ceases to assimilate the values \u200b\u200bof society. He hears them, but does not analyze or transform them into his beliefs. Thus, egocentrism is a consequence of incorrect personality development, a reflection of an identity crisis. How it looks internally:

  • inadequate self-image and ideas about other people;
  • denial of the significance and value of another person, based on this unrealistic plans for the future;
  • destruction of moral values \u200b\u200bor loss of material values \u200b\u200bwith which the egocentric identified himself.

All people face an identity crisis, but there are two possible solutions: constructive and destructive. Egocentrism is a variant of the destructive path. By denying the value and uniqueness of other people, the egocentric gradually loses his own uniqueness. Completion of identity becomes impossible.

Identity is not possible without identifying oneself and comparing with other people, but the egocentric is too fixated on himself. Therefore, he does not have such an opportunity. Moreover: the egocentric does not recognize not only other people, he does not see the whole society, the history of mankind, the real prospects of his own life.

Identity is needed for self-knowledge, self-knowledge for. Thus, we can say that the egocentric has stalled in his development. He does not so much harm others as he limits his own freedom and potential, despite focusing on his own desires. Here's a paradox.

An interesting fact: egocentrism is more common in women; egocentrism returns to old age as a child due to senile depression of the intellect.

Types of egocetrism

There are 3 types of egoism:

  1. Informative. Characterizes the perception and thinking of a person.
  2. Moral. Inability to perceive the moral basis of people's actions.
  3. Communicative. It assumes a disregard for giving meaning to information, that is, a person does not follow the wording, and sometimes the reliability of information.

What to do

How to help an egocentric person

It is not easy to interact with an egocentric person, but if a person is dear to you, you do not want to leave him, but want to help change, then you have to sweat.

  1. Do not express your displeasure openly if your partner is not ready for it.
  2. Express your dissatisfaction, but without accusatory forms. Criticize the actions, not the person.
  3. Try to figure out the reasons for your partner's self-centeredness. Perhaps this is a defensive reaction, which means that he feels vulnerable, or a manifestation of an inferiority complex, the influence of a feeling of shame, intrapersonal conflict or life uncertainty.
  4. Confidential conversation will help to find out and get rid of it. In the end, the egocentric will be pleased to talk about himself, your task is to approach it correctly.

Most often, the egocentrism of an adult has childhood roots. We need to talk to the child together, independently or with the help of a psychologist (and he always lives inside us), to find out what he lacked or lacks. And then work out a specific problem that makes a person fixate on himself and demand the same total worship from others.

What to do if you yourself are self-centered

You will have to work mainly with the help of self-conviction. To do this, it is important to understand and accept a number of truths:

  • Everyone - . He has his own interests and beliefs. No one has the right to encroach on this freedom.
  • There are social stereotypes, beliefs and values. To accept them or not to accept them is everyone's personal business. But you need to know and recognize them.
  • Don't be angry with those who ask you to grow up or take the opinion of others. Choose 1-2 people whom you can potentially trust (it is clear that an egocentric does not trust anyone, and therefore potentially).
  • Do not expect to be indulged, and do not indulge yourself once you decide to fight.
  • Try to describe how other people feel or think about you or the world. It is useful to further discuss this by speaking out loud. A sort of "guess". Only by playing true-false can you develop empathy.
  • Learn to communicate, take an interest in other people's lives. Really listen to them.
  • Remember when I mentioned trust? Ask your friend to guide you all day long with his wishes, but at the same time commenting on each step. First, you will feel yourself under the influence of an egocentric, and secondly, you will see the world through the eyes of another person.
  • Consciously force yourself to regularly think about how other people are feeling. Gradually it will become a habit. You can do this in writing first.
  • Do not give advice and guidance unless asked to do so. Who cares - they themselves will be asked to talk about your success, and you will, on all grounds, be able to talk about yourself to your beloved (this, by the way, is not so rare if you make a circle of close friends and are ready not only to talk, but also to listen).
  • Make it a rule, before calling someone or coming to visit, to figure out if this person is ready to see you, if he can help. For example, in a home with small children, early or too late calls are likely to be discouraged.
  • Read literature, watch films, and then retell the plot on behalf of several heroes. This will help in the future to understand other people.
  • Talk to your friends about specific situations. Let them tell their vision, compare it to yours.
  • Engage in socially significant activities or enroll in drama school. The egocentric lacks recognition, a sense of significance and relevance. But if you do something like that, then do not shout about it at every step. Otherwise it will again become pure egocentrism.

Afterword

Every person is unique. This is the beauty. We complement each other, let us grow, sometimes we entertain. To get rid of self-centeredness, it is important to learn to calmly, and when asked, express your point of view. But at the same time, recognize the rights of another person to an excellent opinion, be able to also calmly listen to him. Living in a world of copies is boring.

Thus, egocentrism is a personality cult supported by the same personality. Its prerequisites may be family upbringing like the “idol of the family”, and the status of the only or disliked child in the family, and egoism, and permissiveness, and high status, and underdevelopment of the individual. But you can fight egocentrism. Another question: will the egocentric himself want this? If so, it will not be easy for him, but the changes are real. Otherwise, nothing will come of it.

Hello dear readers! Have you ever met a person who does not think about anyone but himself or herself? What can you call him? Selfish? And who is the egocentric person? Today I propose to understand these two concepts, to consider the signs of a person fixated on himself, to understand why children's egocentrism passes into adulthood and what to do about it.

Since people often confuse selfishness and self-centeredness, I want to offer you the book by Rudolf Steiner " Selfishness in philosophy". Thanks to the work of the Austrian philosopher, you can trace the rise of individualism back to Ancient Greece itself.

Definition

The word "egocentrism" in translation from Latin means nothing but "I" in the center of the circle. What does it mean? A person cannot put himself in the place of another, he considers himself to be the center of the universe or an extreme form of egoism.

Let's take a look at the symptoms of self-centered people. The first sign is. Such a person does not know how to read other people's emotions, he does not put himself in the place of another, he interprets everything in relation to himself. As a result, he has difficulties in. It is extremely difficult to communicate with such a person.

If everything goes well with upbringing, then a person acquires a healthy self-esteem, he knows how to put himself in the place of another person, he understands that he is not the center of the universe.

If an adult could not become a healthy egoist, then some problems have arisen. This happens because of parental connivance, because of a lack of love or an excess of it.

We have considered the signs of egocentricity above. And what does healthy egoism mean? The instinct of self-preservation and satisfaction of one's needs is very strong in man. An adequate adult will strive to solve the situation in such a way that he and other participants will benefit.

But as in any situation, there is another side here, when a person puts himself on the altar of sacrifice. I talk about this in the article "".

What to do

If you have to communicate with an egocentric, then the best solution is not to indulge his desires and passions, for example, when parents constantly pamper their blood. A person should understand that it does not always happen the way he wants. Your task is to be calm, reasonable and cool-headed.

Try charity work. Just approach this issue competently. Do not just transfer a hundred rubles to the fund's account, but go to work with orphans, or go to a nursing home. Find out what kind of help is needed at the children's center near you. Learn to see other people's problems.

How can you describe a self-centered person? How does he differ from a healthy egoist?

Loving yourself does not mean not loving others.
Best wishes to you!