Narcissistic Personality Disorder And Laurie Hall Anderson's Speak

After researching narcissistic personality disorder, the Mayo clinic defines the disability as ”a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance” in their article “Narcissistic Personality Disorder”(Narcissistic Personality Disorder). Narcissism, while decently common, is a serious issue that has an effect on those directly and indirectly affected. Narcissistic personality disorder is commonly discovered through the effects it has on people's relationships. Claire Eddy explains in her article “Self-Serving Social Strategies: A Systematic Review of Social Cognition in Narcissism” that narcissistic attitudes can cause “difficulties within relationships” and the “impact on families, friends, colleagues

However, with these symptoms of narcissism and proof of its effects, one can identify the condition in someone and learn more about the way the person’s mind works. With the use of psychoanalytic techniques, readers and audiences can further their understanding of a character’s personalities and motives; that being the case, by considering the causes and developments of Narcissistic Personality Disorder similarities in attitudes and differences in developments can be made between the characters Romeo Montegue from William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and Heather from Laurie Hall Anderson’s novel Speak.

Both the symptoms and ramifications of narcissism are seen in Romeo’s views of himself and his relationships. Evidence: After being denied by Rosaline, Romeo enters a period of depression when he will not do anything other than mope and “in his chamber pens himself"(Shakespeare 18). Romeo often gets caught up in his own emotions without much regard for what responsibilities he is failing to carry out in his dejection. When it comes to his emotions, Romeo is very self-centered and does not care much for how his lack of awareness in his depressive

Eventually, Heather gives up on trying to change Melinda into her image of a perfect person when she finds the Marthas will talk to her. She finally finds the sought-after friend she has wanted. This situation advances her symptoms of Narcissism, especially when she ends her friendship with Melinda, “walks to the Marthas” and “never looks back at [Melinda]”(Anderson 107). People with narcissistic personality disorder will often abandon certain relationships in return for another relationship that they believe will better prove that they are, in fact, better than the average person. This is precisely what Heather did with Melinda. As the evidence manifests, Heather left her friendship with Melinda to gain an acquaintance with the Marthas that she thought would suit her self-regarding plans, without consideration of anyone else's feelings towards the matter besides her own. Both Romeo and Heather show the signs of narcissism and face the consequences of their attitudes in their relationships and emotional well-being. While these characters both convey the signs of narcissism, their vanity can be categorized into two different subdivisions. Romeo’s personality more closely parallels vulnerable, covert narcissism.Although Romeo exhibits signs of