Adviсe
- Egoism and egocentrism: what are the similarities?
- Definitions in psychology
- What life tactics does an egoist choose?
- How does an egocentric person live?
- Egoism and egocentrism: differences
Egoism and egocentrism - these two words are similar, and therefore in everyday life they are often used as synonymous, without thinking about the differences in their meanings. And the differences are significant if we consider these psychological terms in detail.
Egoism and egocentrism: what are the similarities?
Both terms are united by the common root “ego”. What is ego? From Greek this word is translated as “I”. In psychoanalytic theory, the Ego is a psychological entity inherent in every person. Through perception, she contacts the external world and illustrates its phenomena for internal understanding. The ego is a “bridge” between the Id and the Super-Ego, connecting the instincts and sublime aspirations of the soul. Thanks to the Ego, a person reacts adequately to phenomena in the outside world.
What is the everyday understanding of the terms “egoism” and “egocentrism”?
We hear the word “selfishness” often. Egoists are people who are narcissistic and do not want to take into account the opinions of others. It is often argued that modern children are selfish. This is also the name given to people who are in no hurry to get married or who are in no hurry to have children. The logic is this: egoists live for themselves, and not for others, so they are contrasted with altruists, and at the same time often with family people.
Egocentrists are called outright egoists - people who do not notice anyone except themselves, who neglect the feelings and needs of others and even relatives and friends. An egocentric person seeks his own benefit in everything; it does not matter to him that he may act to the detriment of others.
Psychological interpretations of these terms are similar in many ways to ordinary ones, but they are more accurate. They also trace the differences between egoism and egocentrism.
Definitions in psychology
The Great Psychological Encyclopedia gives the following interpretation of egoism: “Egoism is the value orientation of the individual, in which selfish motives of selfishness come to the fore. Characterized by an unwillingness to perceive the needs and aspirations of other people.”
What about egocentrism? A large psychological dictionary gives it the following definition: “Egocentrism is an individual’s position, characterized by a focus on one’s own experiences, sensations and needs, as well as an inability to perceive information that contradicts personal attitudes, i.e. often coming from another person.”
The conclusion is not difficult to draw: egoism and egocentrism are similar if you evaluate their manifestations. The difference lies in the awareness of such attitudes. And if an egoist consciously chooses “life for himself,” then the egocentric simply does not understand that he can act differently.
Self-centered person: who is it?
An egocentric person often does not even make an attempt to take the other person’s place and understand what his problem is. The point is not so much that he is not capable of this - it would not even occur to him to do such a thing.
Common features:
- Many people believe that self-centered people are angry and rude, but this is not always the case; more often than not, they are simply insensitive.
- They can communicate nicely with other people, enveloping them with too intrusive participation, without noticing that this is a burden to the interlocutor.
- When harassing someone, he does not pay any attention to the inconvenience created.
- Also, one of the manifestations of egocentrism is the egocentric’s obvious restraint in praising and expressing gratitude towards other people.
An egocentric person is not always also an egoist in the full meaning of the word - these personality types have differences, but we will describe them below.
What life tactics does an egoist choose?
People first started talking about egoism during the Enlightenment, but then this term had a positive emotional connotation. “Rational self-love” was proclaimed, and it was believed that the basis of morality was the noble self-interest and aspirations of the individual. But in those days, morality and spirituality were valued much more highly; they were, as they say, “in trend.” Today, these values are recognized by society, but are less often cultivated consciously in the younger generation.
Selfishness has acquired a negative emotional connotation, although its presence is desirable for a modern person. Selfishness is not denied, but it is not exalted either, and therefore is carefully hidden and disguised. Its manifestations are presented as altruistic (altruism is the opposite of egoism). We see this in building relationships with the opposite sex. Yes, yes, behind love there is often hidden selfishness, the desire to make yourself happy first of all, not your partner. But this is a narrow example, and egoists are different.
One egoist wants to achieve career heights in order to have more material wealth. He wants to eat deliciously, dress stylishly and go on vacation at the seaside. Such an egoist wants comfort for himself, but he works to achieve it. This is modern reasonable egoism.
Another egoist also wants comfort, but he believes that anyone should take care of him, but not himself. At the same time, he dreams of working less and getting more money. And when there are problems in his work, either someone else or circumstances are to blame, but never the person himself. This is an unpleasant type of egoist who knows how to parasitize and demand, but does nothing for others. And this position is quite conscious.
Egocentric people see the world differently. They have their own understanding of reality and should.
Our days
Of course, today the concepts of morality and spirituality have not devalued, but they are consciously cultivated much less often, especially among representatives of the younger generation. Nowadays, the word selfishness is used more often with a negative emotional connotation. Nevertheless, as experts are convinced, it must, within reasonable limits, be inherent in modern man. It is not worth denying egoism, but it is also not customary to extol it, and therefore an intelligent individual will carefully hide and disguise this quality of his.
How does an egocentric person live?
An egocentric person sincerely does not understand that, in addition to his point of view, there may also be another. Or even several different opinions. He lives by the principle: “There are two opinions, mine and the wrong.”
An example from the field of family psychological counseling. A married couple comes to the specialist, and the psychologist asks the husband to stay in the corridor to first listen to the wife’s position. The woman expresses her thoughts and feelings, and the consultant then asks her to describe how her husband sees the situation. The wife is sincerely surprised, not understanding how her husband can perceive their life differently. But he can. The man comes in and tells the story from his point of view, and at the same time he does not understand why his wife has different thoughts about what is happening.
As we see, this is egocentrism in its purest manifestation. Living together for years, quarreling and making up, and not even thinking about putting yourself in the place of your spouse.
Egocentrism is inherent in children. They do not know that people are different, think and feel differently. Kids don't think about it. But if egocentrism develops into a personality trait of an adult and becomes his worldview, it is very difficult to eradicate it.
Age limits
According to psychologists, it is only forgivable for children to be self-centered if they have not yet reached the age of three. Egocentrism is also considered the norm in individuals who have been diagnosed with mental pathologies. Thus, egocentrism is due to psychophysiological characteristics. In adults and mentally healthy people, egocentrism is considered a destructive trait, a sign of an immature person. It may be that during the socialization of the individual this process is disrupted. As a result, adolescent identification is inadequate. Thus, if during the period of formation of self-awareness, when the child is looking for a middle ground between the personal and the social, a failure occurs, egocentrism begins to form. It can also arise if, during adolescence, an individual did not retain his individuality, but fit into the general rhythm of life. In addition, such a person also develops infantilism. Unlike egoism, egocentrism is characteristic only of children and people with mental disabilities. Selfishness will accompany the individual throughout his life. According to experts, as they get older, many people become more self-centered. The reason for this is psychophysiological age-related changes. It has been noted that in their behavior and thinking, old people are practically no different from children.
Egoism and egocentrism: differences
Selfishness is characterized by love for one’s own person and the desire to do something for oneself, while egocentrism is characterized by the fact that a person feels himself to be the center of the Universe. A selfish person is aware of the thoughts, desires and values of other people, but does not take them into account. For an egocentrist, his own point of view seems to be the only possible and correct one. Selfishness accompanies a person throughout his life, while egocentrism is characteristic of childhood, but in other cases it also occurs in adults. Selfishness is condemned by society, although it can also have positive connotations. Egocentrism has no positive interpretations.
The conclusion from all of the above is this: these two terms, which are similar at first glance, are in fact different, and strikingly so.
Comparison
To differentiate the phenomena under consideration, it is necessary to delve into their nature. As mentioned above, selfishness is nothing more than great love for one’s own person and the desire to act only in one’s own interests. A person knows about the existence of other points of view on one issue, but deliberately does not take them into account. Selfishness is a personality trait that begins to make itself felt in early childhood and accompanies the individual throughout life. Despite its negative connotation, this phenomenon acts as a kind of engine of progress. It forces a person to act, invent, create, invent, move forward to achieve his own benefit. Modern psychologists consider healthy egoism, combined with decency and good upbringing, to be a very useful quality. There is an opinion that it is inherited by the child at the genetic level.
The main difference between egoism and egocentrism is that the latter is not a personality trait, but a feature of thinking. Such a person not only does not take into account the opinions of others, but simply has no idea about their existence. He sincerely considers his point of view to be the only one and does not even think that it could be different. In the mind of an egocentric person, the world revolves around him and for him. Moreover, a person does not at all strive to put himself on a pedestal, he really feels that way. An individual with such thinking is completely immersed in himself and does not feel other people. As mentioned above, this behavior is typical for children up to the age of 8-12 years. In adults, it is much less common. Egocentrism has no positive connotations. It forces a person to withdraw into his own little world, preventing communication with others. Typical egocentrics are introverts with abstract thinking. Their gaze is directed exclusively inward.
Let's summarize what is the difference between selfishness and egocentrism.
