Hello dear readers. Today we will talk about what a self-centered person means. You will know how to behave with such people. You will find out why this character trait manifests itself. You will know what to do if you have identified manifestations of egocentrism in yourself.

What it is

Initially this concept was introduced as a characteristic of children's personality traits. This condition was considered normal in childhood. It was supposed to reflect a certain level of development of the baby in the cognitive sphere. with an age category of eight to ten years, which confirmed the presence of egocentrism. Their results revealed that children are unable to put themselves in the place of another person. They cannot evaluate themselves as an annex to someone; they see themselves only as a central figure. The fact is that almost all parents who have Small child, radically change their lives, their interests, forget about needs and dreams for the sake of the baby.

Thanks to egocentrism, the toddler has the opportunity to get to know himself, his desires, capabilities, learns to take care of himself, and perform certain actions. As he grows up, he will realize that he is not the only one, that there are other children with their own opinions, and he will see that his parents do not always agree with him. But the fact is that not all children manage to realize this. This is how adults grow up with such a character trait as egocentrism.

Children are egocentric

A child from two to five years old is just learning to contact the world around him. To be able to come to an agreement with peers, he must understand their desires and needs. However, this is hindered by children's egocentrism, which often leads to conflicts. For example, a child will not want to share toys with his peers, but will happily take strangers’ toys from other children. The child’s egocentrism will also manifest itself at a time when he is scolded or condemned.

The idea that such behavior is a manifestation of selfishness is erroneous. However, this is not so, the little one is not yet capable of manipulating someone. The child cannot yet realize that there is any difference between the realities of his life and the desires of other people. It is extremely difficult for a child to distinguish the subjective from the surrounding world until a certain age. Initially, he identifies his ideas with objects that are in the objective environment, over time he begins to distinguish them, then egocentrism weakens. Karapuz begins to understand that his views may differ from the views of other people.

Egocentrism can also arise in adolescence. A child who has overcome childhood manifestations may again become self-centered due to certain factors. Such egocentrism is a personally effective element, which is associated with the development of individual thinking and is formed under the influence social factors, parenting style, social circle, social status. Egocentrism in adolescence is the brightest and most pronounced. The teenager completely focuses on himself and believes in the uniqueness of his own person. Often this character trait at this age goes away on its own at a time when hormonal levels return to normal. In the presence of certain factors, it can take root.

Causes

Egocentrism has its origins in childhood.

  1. The child’s parents at one time had serious difficulties, life problems, and now they are trying to protect their child from all this. On the one hand, one can understand their actions. They really want a better fate for their baby. However, on the other hand, the matured toddler will not be adapted to life’s problems and will not be able to get out of difficult situations. He will believe that everything can be achieved without making any effort. A grown-up child will perceive other people as an obstacle to his goals and will look for his own benefit in everything. Such a person is psychologically unstable.
  2. Parents raise the child, indulging him in everything, satisfying his every need. Having matured, a person does not understand why no one wants to give in to him, does not want to fulfill his demands and requests.
  3. Parents, sometimes unknowingly, put their child on display, pointing out to acquaintances, friends and neighbors that their child is the best and most talented. From childhood, a child is accustomed to his exclusivity.

Characteristic manifestations

  1. Inadequate self-esteem. He always looks for excuses for his own inaction or blames himself for all the problems and troubles that happen. If such a person low self-esteem, then he experiences difficulties in self-expression and self-realization. He is unable to express his feelings, talk about what really worries him. If such a person tries to convince everyone around him that he deserves the best, he behaves arrogantly, sometimes arrogantly, thereby scaring everyone away. People are starting to treat him with warnings.
  2. Increased tendency to frequent fantasies. Such a person is immersed in his own world. His dreams and fantasies become, as it were, a refuge from life's disappointments. He hides in his little world from the problems of reality, from reality.
  3. A self-centered person is a person who constantly compares himself with other people who have greater achievements than him. When an egocentric person sees that other colleagues or friends are doing something better than him, he gives up, stops believing in himself, stops developing, and no longer improves his abilities and talents. He is not able to show his individuality, because he is constantly looking at someone. A person is not able to rejoice in his victories and achievements; he is constantly looking for confirmation of his own interest and need.
  4. He doesn't understand emotional condition other people. He does not understand the feelings of anyone other than himself.
  5. It is typical to exaggerate one's achievements and abilities in order to gain recognition. He will also easily begin to humiliate other people, pointing out the lack of certain abilities. It is important for him to show his superiority over others.
  6. He behaves in such a way as to attract the attention of other people to his person; it is important for him to be the center of attention.
  7. There may be premature criticism. An egocentric person will begin to criticize everyone around him because he does not want to recognize the talents of other people.
  8. He is too sensitive and vulnerable, he is very worried about his failures. Over time, you develop your own way of thinking and a whole set of habits that will reinforce each other.

Is it possible to change an egocentric person?

As children grow older, they get rid of this quality if the adults who are present during their upbringing behave in the right way and make it clear that they are not the center of the Universe, that all children have different points of view, interests, and positions in life. If parents impose their points of view on the child, instill in them that everything should be according to their opinion, then egocentrism will linger for a long time.

If we talk about adults, they can be rid of this trait, but they will have to go through a difficult path.

  1. It is unlikely that you will be able to correct someone if he does not show his desire. It is important that a person understands that such behavior prevents him from communicating with other people. When you become aware of your problem, you can try to cope with it, either on your own, or seek help from a psychologist who can determine the reasons for the emergence of such a character trait and help you change.
  2. There must be an awareness that children, not people over 20, are more susceptible to egocentrism. Relatives, friends and relatives of the eccentric need to behave accordingly, not indulge, and not rush to fulfill all his requests at the first request. It wouldn’t hurt to ask the egocentric if he knows how you feel about this or that situation. Let the person think and understand that there are other people with their own opinions and needs.

If a person does not begin to fight his egocentrism, then over time life will teach him a serious lesson.

Communication with such a person

There is nothing wrong with a person loving himself, but when this becomes a pathological process, he is often left alone. An egocentric person believes that his needs are the most important, his problems should be solved first. How to deal with family and friends, lovers who find themselves next to an egocentric person?

  1. It is important to determine what reasons influenced the emergence of such a character trait.
  2. There is no need to protest too clearly against the uniqueness of the egocentric, but you should not extol him either.
  3. You can directly say what unpleasant feelings his behavior causes you. Offer to become aware of your actions and begin to change.
  4. Talk to him, learn to find compromises and common ground.
  5. There is no need to try to change it. Over time, a person himself will come to this understanding.

How to change yourself

  1. It is important to learn to feel the needs and emotions of other people, especially those who are nearby.
  2. We need to stop perceiving reality from a child's point of view. It is important to learn to be responsible for your actions.
  3. Set only realistic goals for yourself. A person must achieve what he strives for. Then you won't have to dwell on failures. It is important that the goals you strive for are dictated by your own needs and dreams, and not formed under the influence of someone else’s opinion.
  4. You don’t need to think that you are an exceptional person, different from other people, that your problems are the most important. It's time to realize that others can have difficulties too. And for some people they are much more serious than for you. You need to learn to sympathize, master the ability to worry about other people, and not just yourself.
  5. You don't need to give your advice to everyone. It's time to realize that everyone has their own opinion, their own view of life.
  6. Cultivate in yourself the habit of being interested in the capabilities of other people, not barging in on them at any moment when you want it, warning and negotiating in advance.
  7. If you want to ask someone for something, take into account his capabilities, and you don’t need to immediately put forward your demand. Talk, find out about the well-being and problems of your interlocutor, and only then voice your request.
  8. If spouses notice the presence of egocentrism on each other’s part, they should mentally put themselves in their partner’s place and try to look at the situation through their eyes. This will improve mutual understanding and eliminate frequent conflicts. There is no need to intrusively express your beliefs, demanding that your partner acknowledge your point of view. Learn to compromise, respect your soulmate.

Now you know, self-centeredness is (in psychology) a manifestation of a character trait that is more characteristic of children and is quite normal in this age period. If you notice manifestations of egocentrism in yourself or in your friends, colleagues, or relatives, find The right way communicate with such people and change yourself.

So what is egocentrism? Egocentrism is, first of all, a personality position characterized by a person’s reluctance or inability to consider another point of view, to listen to another opinion different from his own.

An egocentric person does not want to understand and realize that people are all different, that everyone looks at different things in their own way, not like him, that people have their own views and needs.

It seems to an egocentrist that he is the center of the universe; it is very difficult, and most likely even impossible, to convey something else to him. The social circle of such an egocentric person consists of people who are absolutely similar to him in their view of things. He stays with other people in constant disputes and conflicts.

Egocentrism itself is characteristic of any person; under the influence of various circumstances it can manifest itself more strongly, so to speak, aggravate. Psychology provides many examples of the behavior of a self-centered person.

3 types of egocentrism

Egocentrism manifests itself very clearly in childhood, perhaps outgrowing by 12-14 years, and then can manifest itself in old age.

What is children's egocentrism? Egocentricity is the perception of the environment. An egocentric person is extremely confident that his thoughts are authoritative, he considers himself omniscient, and considers others stupid, therefore he does not take into account or perceive their opinions. If egocentrism develops in a child, then there is no need to consider this as any deviation, but if in adolescence egocentrism continues to manifest itself, which means it is necessary to take action. This happens due to the fact that a small child is not able to understand that everyone has different opinions, but adults may well realize this.

Causes of egocentrism

Adult egocentrism

If an adult egocentricity manifested itself, then this becomes a big problem in communicating with others, establishing contacts with them, mutual understanding, and also, perhaps, a psychological illness. Most often, egocentric people are lonely people. In addition, if this is a married couple and one of the parents is egocentric, he will subsequently, in raising the child, try to suppress his interests, his affections, imposing his point of view, thereby suppressing the individuality of his child. The child first develops a passive outlook on life, he becomes dependent first on his parents, then on other people in society.

The difference between egocentrism and egoism

The egoist also represents, first of all, a moral orientation, but unlike the egocentric, he does it selfishly. An egoist is aware of what he is doing, but for the sake of his interests he is ready to do a lot. While a self-centered person acts unconsciously, he simply does not take much of what happens around him for granted, since he is completely involved in the world of his own interests.

One of the main tasks in education is to overcome such a human position as egocentrism. It is necessary to develop in the child the ability to consider the situation from different positions, to be more tolerant of opinions, recommendations, and reasoning that are unusual for him.

Typically, children's egocentrism disappears completely in adulthood. Parents and teachers need to constantly explain to the child that such behavior is not typical of people, and that everyone has their own interests, views and opinions. So gradually the child will begin to understand what other people feel, and Over time, egocentrism will pass.

Most often, self-centered people give everyone advice and recommendations that many do not need. Therefore, people try to turn away from egocentric people and communicate less. This is of course wrong, but such people can be understood. To prevent this from happening, first of all, egocentrics themselves must understand that their behavior is not consistent and must want to change. To do this, you need to put yourself in the other person's shoes, give recommendations to someone only if they are asked to do so, and also, before you come and call someone, you need to think about whether now is the right time for visits and calls. And do not express your beliefs in an intrusive manner and try not to object.

Thus, every individual is unique, and living your life imitating someone is not interesting, but you should protect your own uniqueness, but it is also necessary to respect the opinions of other people. Now everyone can answer the question: “What is egocentrism?”

You look at some people and wonder why they are so sure that the world revolves around them. Attempts to convince them or in some way influence their perception of reality usually do not lead to positive results, and they only further show their indifferent attitude towards everything except their far from modest person. You need to understand that such people do not behave this way on purpose, they just have one trait that is generally inherent in children. This trait is called egocentrism. It means a person’s reluctance and inability to perceive another point of view different from his own, focusing exclusively on his own experiences, thoughts and interests. Yes, such people - the centers of the Universe - live among us.

Egocentrism and selfishness.

The concept of “egocentrism” is very similar to another one - egoism, but the meanings of these terms are still different. If egoism considers exclusively the moral aspect of the individual, then egocentrism is mainly associated with the cognitive sphere.

Thus, an egoist can neglect the feelings of other people not because he is not even aware of them. He understands perfectly well that there are several points of view on one issue, that there are different people with different interests, however, he puts his interests and his pleasure above the rest. And therefore he behaves as if those around him are trash.

An egocentric person behaves in this way because he sincerely does not realize that there is a point of view different from his own. He really doesn't understand that the people around him may have different interests, emotions and thoughts. An egocentric person's experiences, thoughts and feelings are concentrated around one person - his own.

The concept of egocentrism in psychology.

Initially, this concept was introduced to describe the personality traits of a child. It was believed that egocentrism in children is a completely normal phenomenon, reflecting a certain level of development of the child’s cognitive sphere. Experiments were conducted with children aged 8-10 years, the results of which confirmed the presence of egocentrism in them.

For example, the child was shown a certain area, representing a certain landscape in miniature: a mountain, trees, houses, etc. He looked at this landscape from all sides, and then sat down on a chair and described what he saw. Then with opposite side they sat the doll down, and asked the baby what she saw. The child again described what he himself saw. It was concluded that children cannot put themselves in the place of another.

Another scientific experiment involved asking a baby about the number of brothers or sisters. And then they asked how many brothers and sisters his, for example, brother had. The kid always named one less relative than in the previous answer, i.e. he didn't consider himself. He could not perceive himself as an “addendum” to something, only as a central figure.

Then these experiments were criticized, but a fact is a fact. Even if similar experiments were carried out on children now, the majority would respond and do the same. After all, children’s egocentrism is a certain stage of development. Indeed, new parents subordinate their lives to their newborn baby, changing their interests and the general rhythm of life for his sake. Only thanks to egocentrism do children get to know themselves, their capabilities, desires and needs, learn to take care of themselves and perform actions that they traditionally learn in childhood. As you grow older, you come to the realization that there are different opinions on one issue, that even mom and dad sometimes disagree with each other, that each person has his own position, etc. But there are exceptions: not all guys realize this idea in time.

Adults are egocentric.

Due to various upbringing factors and personality traits, egocentrism can also manifest itself in adults. For some, manifestations of egocentrism may occur very rarely, for others - more often, and still others have not changed at all since childhood, and therefore see the world only from your position.

Everyone sometimes experiences a similar situation: the thought of something or the desire for something so captivates a person that it seems that he is not able to think about anything else right now. Everything is subject to this: emotions, thinking, behavior. All for the sake of satisfying a specific need! This is what a manifestation of egocentrism looks like in ordinary people. And egocentric people are so caught up in something related to their own desires all the time.

Egocentric people are often described as philosophers who are not understood by others. Indeed, usually similar traits appear in those who think about the meaning of life, their place on the planet, their purpose and other philosophical questions. But the answers to all these questions come down to a kind of “I-perception” of reality. A person understands everything only through the prism of his own personality: “Everything that happens in the world happens especially for me.” Yes, yes, airplanes fly, and moose eat salt, and African tribes jump around the fire - all this is for him. It is difficult to interact with such people. Moreover, they do not particularly strive for this interaction with others.

You need to understand that egocentrism in adults is no longer entirely good, although, of course, it is not a disease or pathology. But dealing with such manifestations of personality is quite difficult.

Is it possible to change egocentricity?

In children, egocentrism usually disappears during adolescence. If significant adults (parents, teachers) behave correctly, then the child quickly understands that he is not the central figure in the world, that there are many different points of view, that everyone has different interests, goals and life positions.

There are adults who can instill and impose “correct” thoughts on their children, which those around them later have to regret. Such children may either realize all these things later or not realize them at all.

And with egocentrism in adults you need to work long and, most importantly, deeply:

  • Firstly, it is impossible to change someone without his desire and will. If an adult himself does not understand that his behavior makes it somewhat difficult for him to communicate and interact with the outside world, he will not be able to help. Even experienced psychologists are not able to prove to a person that he is egocentric. If a person understands why he needs to change his behavior and way of thinking, he can either work on himself or go to a specialist.
  • Secondly, it is important to realize that egocentrism is inherent in children. But for children who are 20, 40 or 50 years old, it is somewhat unusual. It is important for those around him not to indulge the egocentric and not to accept his lifestyle, then he may understand that he has already left childhood.
  • If close person– egocentric, you can try to put him in the place of another person. It’s easier to do this with questions: “How do you think I felt?” This may throw him into a stupor (“Do others really think differently?”), but it is likely that the first thoughts that not everyone around him is like himself will settle in his head.

If you don’t work with manifestations of egocentrism and don’t correct your behavior in any way, then life can teach you a lesson itself, and the lesson is quite cruel. After all, life usually does not choose means of “treatment”.

What is egocentrism? Don't rush to answer this question. Surely the temptation immediately arises to connect egocentrism with selfishness.

The use of these concepts as synonyms or the presentation of one as the degree of expression of the other is a very common practice, not only in everyday communication and non-specialized literature, but also in science. What's the difference?

When trying to separate one concept from another, many new questions arise. Why, for example, do we take children’s egocentrism for granted, and what’s more, we often simply don’t notice it, but we consider an adult to be a serious obstacle to normal communication? How to get rid of egocentrism? Let's try to clarify.

Egocentric or selfish

First of all, it must be said that the meaning of the word “egocentrism” is interpreted differently in different fields of knowledge. For example, in philosophy and ethics, this concept really merges with egoism. Accordingly, it becomes possible to understand it as the maximum degree of expression of individualism and egoism.

By the way, these or similar definitions are proposed in many explanatory dictionaries, and in synonym dictionaries, as a rule, one word is considered an analogue of another. Hence the tendency to confuse egocentrism and selfishness. Egoism in people's minds has a stable negative evaluative characteristic, and, of course, it automatically turns into egocentrism, which further blurs the difference between definitions.

From a different point of view, egocentrism is considered in psychology. Firstly, there is no initially negative assessment here (although when studying this position of the individual in more detail, it is usually mentioned that its manifestations make it difficult to fully interpersonal communication). Secondly, egocentrism relates to the cognitive sphere of the individual, which precisely clarifies its difference from egoism - it acts as a representative of the sphere of values.

Thus, everyday and scientific understandings of egoism coincide. This is selfishness, self-interest, focus on one’s own benefit. A self-centered person also focuses on self-interest, but this is based on a sincere lack of understanding of the point of view of others and the belief that the worldview, beliefs and moral standards of other people are exactly the same as his own.

In other words, an egoist often understands perfectly well that he neglects the values ​​and desires of others, but an egocentric person does not. From the outside, the behavior of an egocentric person will also seem selfish, but one must be aware: he does this without consciously putting himself above, but simply because he cannot imagine how it could be otherwise.

Psychologists distinguish several types of egocentrism.

  • Cognitive - manifested in the perception of the surrounding world and mental operations.
  • Communicative - complicating communication, mainly verbal, since the egocentric is not able to see the differences in the content of statements - his own and the interlocutor's.
  • Moral - preventing the understanding of morality and ethics of other people.

Strictly speaking, all types in one way or another affect cognitive sphere, therefore they can be considered subtypes of cognitive egocentrism.

From childhood to old age

The development and refinement of the psychological interpretation of egocentrism belongs to the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. He considered children to be egocentric and argued that this was a natural feature of their (mental) development. Subsequently, Piaget's views were criticized. But it did not consist in the fact that children's egocentrism was completely denied; researchers doubted the degree of its severity and the determination of the age at which it becomes obsolete.

Preschool children judge the world from a single point of view - their own. It simply doesn’t occur to them to try to change the perspective of perception, and even if it did, they wouldn’t be able to do it. Vivid examples of this personality trait of a child can be found in his speech. He speaks only from his own position and does not care about making the message understandable to the interlocutor: he simply does not see the need for this, believing that others understand him as easily as he understands himself.

The famous “Three Hills” experiment also clearly demonstrates children's egocentrism. The experimenter shows the small experimental subject a model of three slides of different heights. A toy is involved in the procedure. She is positioned so that she also “sees” the slides, but from an angle that does not coincide with the child’s angle. Then, from several drawings of the model, the child is asked to choose the one that reflects the look of the toy. The child cannot do this and points to the picture where the slides are depicted as he himself sees them.

Let us emphasize once again: such thinking is natural, there is no need to fight it. The child himself will outgrow egocentrism, because as he grows up, he will need to interact more and more with others, and therefore, he will understand better and better how people differ. different people views on the world.

But teenage egocentrism is no longer the norm. By the age of 10-12, self-centered thinking should give way to a more adult perception of reality. Often, parents themselves unknowingly feed their daughter or son’s egocentrism, supporting adolescents’ childish view of themselves as the center of the world.

Egocentrism can persist in adults. If it does not appear constantly, but only in exceptional situations, there is nothing to fear. But if it becomes a core characteristic of a person, it is necessary to take action. Extremely pointed egocentrism is a symptom of many mental disorders(For example, ).

In extreme cases, communication with others is distorted so much that a person sees in a partner only an “echo” of his own statements. Of course, such people need the help of a specialist. And in general, it is quite difficult to overcome egocentrism on your own. This requires colossal determination and enormous effort of will.

It is interesting that in old age a person seems to return to childhood egocentric perception. This is why it can be so difficult to convey to older people an idea that contradicts their point of view - they again become egocentric, although they do not always show selfishness. Author: Evgenia Bessonova

WITH early childhood the child develops a desire to be the center of attention. The child's psyche is not capable of perceiving this or that event from the outside. It is difficult for children to assess a situation in which they are not a participant. With age, egocentrism can increase if the right measures are not taken in raising a child at a certain stage. However, even in this case, signs of egocentrism will often remind you of yourself.

Signs of egocentrism

A person is considered self-centered if he is only interested in his own opinion. This type of personality will always feel like the center of the universe. An egocentric person will not tolerate objections or claims addressed to him. If he enters into conflict, the truth always remains on his side. It is quite difficult to communicate with egocentrists, since such people often withdraw into themselves and do not make contact for a long time. However, in case of trouble, you can turn to a self-centered person for help and often receive support. For him there are no other people's opinions or experiences. Everything must obey certain rules that the egocentric determines for himself.

You can understand how self-centered a child is by doing a simple psychological test. Place a group of children at one table and place three or four figures of different colors and sizes. Then ask each child to draw a picture of these objects. Give one child the task of drawing the shapes as the other child sees them. As a result, the baby will depict what he drew earlier with absolute accuracy. This indicates that the baby already has a high degree of development of egocentrism. In such a situation, it is important to quickly take action so that your own ego does not become serious in the future. psychological problem.

Difference between egocentric and egoist

Despite the fact that egocentrism and selfishness are often considered synonymous concepts, there are some differences at their core. Egocentrism is special psychological condition, in which a person puts his opinion and views at the center of the universe. The egocentric's starting point begins with his own preferences. Such a person is not able to adequately perceive reality and sees reality in a distorted form. Egoism is a value-ethical principle that characterizes the behavior of an individual. All actions of an egoist are aimed exclusively at achieving their own interests. At the same time, such a person can “go over the heads” of loved ones, since the main thing for him is to satisfy his needs.