Abstract
Narcissism is a form of unhealthy self-love, often associated with lack of empathy for others, the arrogance or very low self-esteem. The concept of narcissism was first introduced in 1914 by Sigmund Freud, who assumed that everyone is born into a condition called primary narcissism.
Freud regarded narcissism as pathological lately in adulthood - the so-called secondary narcissism. According to the current knowledge, supported mainly by Kernberg and several other authors, an adequate level of narcissism is inherent in every individual, and it is connected to some degree of adaptability, which facilitates self-actualization and realization of life goals.
In this context we distinguish normal personality, personality with narcissistic traits and narcissistic personality disorder as a psychiatric diagnosis. Distribution of narcissistic personality traits in the population was examined in many studies.
They showed especially the relationship of narcissism and risk behavior. Other studies pointed to the possible development of narcissistic personality disorder, or narcissistic features as a result of inadequate parenting education or traumatic stress.
The paper presents a systematic overview of the evolution of the concept of narcissism, especially in the context of psychodynamic theory.