To be at the top of your game, in whatever field that might be, takes an enormous amount of self-confidence and belief in your abilities. But when does this self-confidence spill over into narcissism and how does this all-consuming condition affect the person afflicted by it?
Some famous narcissists in the political arena believe that they can conquer the world, and set out to do so with devastating effects. Others in the music and film industry can become so self-obsessed that they think they are more important than Jesus.
Here are the top ten famous narcissists of the past and present.
Alexander the Great exhibited all the characteristics of a raging narcissist. He assembled a huge army for one reason, to realise his own personal ambitions. He believed that you were either with him or against him and he took his faithful soldiers on endless battles, much to their expense, solely for his own glory and personal conquests. He showed no emotion for the bloodshed of his generals or soldiers but believed in his grandiose visions.
Henry the Eighth was considered to be both charismatic and handsome, but he was also one of the cruelest and most egotistical leaders in our history. Famed for having six wives, two of which he had beheaded, he was also famous for his vain quest to have a son and heir to the throne for political reasons and vanity. He was known to show narcissistic traits such as a lack of empathy and being overly concerned with his appearance.
The term ‘Napoleon Complex’ comes from Napoleon Bonaparte’s behaviour, which was to act in an overly aggressive manner to make up for feelings of inferiority and low self-esteem. Napoleon was considered a tyrant by everyone that knew him, who had grandiose thoughts and believed he was special. In fact, in his book entitled ‘Thoughts’, he wrote:
“It was precisely that evening in Lodi that I came to believe in myself as an unusual person and became consumed with the ambition to do the great things that until then had been but a fantasy.”
Adolf Hitler, undoubtedly one of the cruellest leaders of the 20th century, led a campaign that saw the death of millions of innocent people. His actions also incited one of the largest wars in our generation, all due to his unwavering beliefs that he, and all other white Germans, were a superior race to everyone else.
His actions are typical of a self-obsessed narcissist in that he showed no empathy for the suffering of others, he spread his false propaganda about superiority in order to further his campaign and he demanded total acquiesce.
Madonna has admitted herself that she craves being the centre of attention and one look at her outrageous stage outfits is a clue to her narcissistic tendencies. She has also admitted that part of her amazing success is down to her narcissistic personality disorder, and her love of exhibitionism keeps her in the spotlight.
Miley Cyrus was once loved by teenagers across the globe, but nowadays you are more likely to see her semi-clothed, gyrating in some lewd video to her latest single. Her decision to shock and display odd behaviour after her success with Disney shows a narcissistic side to her, as she craves maximum attention and will obviously do whatever it takes to get it.
This lady was made famous by the leaking of a sex tape, probably by herself, and this proves that she will do anything to get famous and stay at the top of the celebrity list. Kim is totally obsessed with herself as the numerous selfies prove, she even published a book of selfies called ‘Selfish’, I wonder if she saw the irony. She has now amassed a million-dollar business, all based on herself, what more could a narcissist want?
Talking of what could Kim want, Kanye West, a bigger narcissist than her is probably the answer. Kanye has staked his narcissist claim by saying that he is the next ‘Saviour’ or ‘Messiah’ and even called himself ‘Yeezus’. He was highly criticized at one of his concerts when he demanded that everyone stood up to applaud him, and castigated one member of the audience who remained seated. He went over to the person and saw they were in a wheelchair but did not offer an apology. Sounds like a toxic narcissist, doesn’t it?
Known in the music industry as the biggest diva in show business, Mariah Carey epitomises narcissism in ways Kanye West can only dream of. She travels with an entourage that could fill a jumbo jet, her demands when she performs are unbelievable, and she even travels with her own lighting. And these are just a couple of examples of the singer’s narcissistic behavior.
It’s no coincidence that many famous people display narcissistic traits and behaviors. People with narcissistic personality disorder will do anything to be in the spotlight, and there is no better way to do that than to get famous.
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Even if you think Trump IS a narcissist, look at ALL he's accomplished: Reduced taxes and federal regulations, a stronger armed forces and business community, going after REAL criminals, stronger borders for our nation, putting Emperor Gi Jing Ping on notice that we will not tolerate his espionage against us or his economic blackmail, and, going after the Deep State (the powerful, UNELECTED, scum who have lived off of and abused U.S. Citizens for too long!!!!
Hey Wayne C. Perelman: Add "killed thousands of Americans" to your list, bud. And there's no THINKING Trump is a narcissist at this point, it's to what DEGREE OF NARCISSISM he possesses. He's also a sociopath. Your comment didn't age well, did it Wayne?
Scott, Trump is obviously a narcissist, and a questionable leader, but he hasn't killed thousands of people.
Narcissism and Narcisistic Personality Disorder are two very different things. Because someone’s career puts them in the spotlight does not necessarily mean they have a personality disorder. By your definition everyone who posts a lot of photos of themselves on social media is a narcissist.
People have gone completely overboard with this narcissism mass hysteria where everybody and their grandmother are cashing in. Perhaps that is some form of narcissism itself. Psychiatrists and their pseudoscience are some of the worst narcissists of all, and these days, everyone is a genius and knows everything while pointing the finger of narcissism at everyone else. Perhaps they're ALL narcissists, and perhaps they could all be considered "functionally" insane.
That wasn't the question though, they weren't saying that he was bad, they were saying he is a narcissist, which he most definitely is.