Selfishness

Narcissism is defined as extreme selfishness, with a grandiose view of one 's own talents and a craving for admiration, as characterizing a personality type (Carlson et al, 2011). People with the traits of a narcissist might consider themselves different or unique as well as superior to or better than others. They uphold this grandiose self-concept both internally, by fantasizing about fame, power or love, and externally, by defending the self against criticism, associating with high-status…

is by betraying their spouse or through blatant dishonesty. By demonstrating both extreme and sympathetic examples of selfish characters and by punishing them for their actions, Marie de France is criticising selfish lovers and suggesting that selfishness and the sanctity of marriage are incompatible with…

introduces the current social norms as “many school districts across the country have specific programs designed to increase children’s self-esteem, most of which actually build self-importance and narcissism” (Twenge 495); as a result, the sense of selfishness is increasing. This hyper-focus on “Me” leads people to become selfish, and they only care about themselves without thinking about other people and society. The Generation Me becomes the idea of today’s children that they directly…

The Anatomy of Aspirations: How Dreams are Both Motivating and Divisive When people hear the word “dream”, many tend to think of an immaculate desire in the distant future looming over their heads and pushing them through life. However, some tend not to consider the idea that dreams in nature can be far from immaculate or perfect; they can break relationships apart. It's the nature of aspirations to conform to both of these notions. This idea has been explored and worked into many works of…

To what extent that helping behaviour can be regarded as altruistic? Helping behaviour can be seen in everyday lives, from helping a senior citizen to saving someone’s life. Helping behaviour is widely encouraged in all cultures and is often seen as an altruistic act whereby people will be willing to help someone in need without asking for something in return. Altruism in psychology can be defined as “a motivational state with the goal of increasing another’s welfare.” Altruistic acts are often…

although highly valued in society, has little value in determining our happiness. Similarly, Finney and Achebe depict characters that struggle to come to this realization. They believe that material wealth is the key to life until the greed and selfishness associated with it nearly kills them. They fail to grasp their free will because of the power that material wealth appears to hold. Tom and Jonathan are prideful, but because of the fear and refusal of freedom, they are unable to reach love…

had worked hard…I had deprived myself…I had desired…Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room, and continued a long time traversing my bedchamber” (39). Victor’s constant use of the I pronoun accentuates his selfishness; he does not care, or even stop to think about, the fact that he was the one that created the Creature in that image, but instead laments how he toiled so hard just for his Creation to be so horrendous. While the Creature had done nothing at…

course of the novel, Golding shows the decline into savagery, mainly through Jack and his craving to have fun, to illustrate selfishness as a form of motivation. Jack’s extreme desire of hunting for entertainment is the direct cause of his inconsiderate behavior which consequently leads…

injustice, since he receives justice while others do not. His creation directly leads to the deaths of Justine, William, Elizabeth, and Henry. None of these people, not even the monster, receive the justice they’ve earned, but Victor does. His selfishness allows him to live his life without consequence, and even easily get out of a trial. Victor even recognizes the need for justice, but ignores it. After speaking with his creation, he says, “I was moved. I shuddered when I thought of the…

morality and drive against these oppositional components. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor and “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner, the grandmother and Abner Snopes are scrutinized as being castigated for the mendacity of the selfishness that they have committed. These unmoral characters strive for power and wealth as they fail to reconcile with those around them. This shows as we ascent towards power and triumph, we tend to lose ourselves and destroy the stability between…