Comparing Ovid's Legend Of Echo And Narcissus

Narcissism originated from the Greek mythology of Ovid’s Legend of Echo and Narcissus. The mythology symbolizes self-love and the conflicts that arise from self-absorption. Narcissus is unable to connect with others because of his self-absorption. He is unhappy; thus, he hurts Echo, his love, and others around him through extreme self-love and arrogant behaviors. Narcissus can be compared to individuals in modern era through an “emphasis on self-admiration and a sense of entitlement, which can involve a failure to connect with others (MacDonald, 2014, p. 145). Narcissistic traits exist on a continuum; hence, these traits can be found in both healthy and unhealthy individuals. “Healthy narcissism involves a steady sense of one’s worth, based

al, 2015, p. 1078). Individuals in collective cultures are at a lower risk to develop pathological distress because they are supported by the community. When a primary caregiver fails to provide emotional attunement to the infant, the child is “cared for and develops an intimate relationship with a number of relatives” leading to a healthier development (Stechler, 2014, p. 387). Hence, when apply narcissism to multicultural treatment in psychoanalysis, the therapist must view their narcissistic tendency during therapy. MacDonald explained, “the narcissistic therapist, feeling entitled to admiration and cooperation of clients, can cause considerable harm, seeing therapy as a chance to show off particular talents. When there is resistance, the narcissistic therapist becomes annoyed or bored and tries to punish the client by devaluing him and blaming him for failing to respond to treatment” (MacDonald, 2014, p. 150). It is important for the therapist to evaluate the resistance rather than becoming annoyed by it. Perhaps the resistance is led by the therapist’s misunderstanding of the client’s culture. Furthermore, it is important to avoid countertransference towards a client that shares a different cultural view than the therapist. Fosshage and Hershberg (2014) suggest that “the psychoanalytic value of self-reflection requires the analyst to call themselves the same sort names they give their patients, and to recognize that all personal qualities are nuanced” (Fosshage and Hershberg, 2014, p. 515). Hence, it is important that despite the client being of a different culture and having different values, the therapist has to empathize with the client and recognize their own personal qualities to be able to be cultural attuned to the client’s clinical