1. Excessive or neurotic admiration of oneself; self-love or self- admiration.
2. An abnormal interest in oneself; especially, in one's own body and sexual characteristics; self-love or self-admiration.
3. Sexual pleasure derived from observing one's own naked body.
4. In psychoanalysis, sexual self interest that is a normal characteristic of the phallic stage of psychosexual development, occurring as the infantile ego acquires a libido.

Narcissism in the adult is abnormal, representing fixation at this phallic stage of development or regression to it.

5. Etymology: from German Narzissismus, coined in 1899 by German psychiatrist Paul Näcke (1851-1913) in Die sexuellen Perversitäten, on a comparison first suggested in 1898 by Havelock Ellis, from Greek Narkissos, the name of a beautiful young man in mythology (Ovid, "Metamorphoses," iii.370) who fell in love with his own reflection in a spring and subsequently was turned into the flower now known as a narcissus.

There is an apparent disagreement as to who "coined" the term narcissism because according to Dr. Ernest Klein, the term narcissism, as used in psychology, came from German Narzissismus; coined by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), founder of psychoanalysis.

Narcissism manifested as an attempt to dominate others and to regain or to maintain omnipotence by intellectual prowess.

1. A personality type showing excessive love or approval of himself or herself: The psychiatrist diagnosed Jerry as exhibiting characteristics of malignant narcissism or an exaggerated sense of personal admiration.
2. Antisocial behavior: Mary had difficulties on the playground at school because she exhibited a form of malignant narcissism which was aggressive towards those who did not admire and praise her.
3. Ego-syntonic aggression or sadism directed against others including inhumane or barbarous killing: The police were alarmed at the repeated discovery of mutilated corpses and focused their search on a person who was known to be possessed with malignant narcissism and had recently escaped from prison.

Narcissism manifested as a yearning to be pure and above normal human needs (which the narcissist finds shameful), and to be free of attachment to others.

An exaggerated underestimation of oneself.

It is particularly expressed in states of melancholia, characterized by ideas of inadequacy, unreality, and self-accusation.

Narcissism manifested as a preoccupation with one's appearance and exhibitionism.

A psychoanalytical or medical term referring to the initial, or early, beliefs by an individual that his or her self-centeredness, conceit, and ego are more important than those of others: It was a difficult diagnosis to accept, but Hans was able to understand the notion of primary narcissism as it related to his personality and he vowed to try to change his attitudes about himself and other people.

In psychoanalysis, the psychic energy or intrest which was once attached to external objects, but that is currently withdrawn from those objects and has been reinvested in one's ego.