The 15 types of egocentrism (and their characteristics)

Undoubtedly, the origin and development of the human personality, as well as all those behaviors that derive from it, are concepts that have always fascinated psychologists. And it is that our personality, which emerges from the combination of innumerable genetic, biological, social and psychological factors, is a very complex study framework.

And in this context, the Myer-Briggs indicator, created in 1942 by the psychologists Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers (mother and daughter, respectively), which were based on studies on the human personality of Carl Jung, is a test that allows us to determine what our personality is within the 16 that this indicator contemplates.

But we know that, beyond all these different personalities, there is an especially important trait that can become very limiting for people: self-centeredness. Egocentric people are those who have a tendency, due to an excessive value of themselves, to believe that they are the center of all external attentions and concerns.

However, Is egocentricity always expressed in the same way? No. Not much less. We are facing a personality trait that hides many nuances and that is not always projected in the same context or in a toxic way. Therefore, in today's article we are going to investigate the psychological bases of egocentricity and describe the profile of the main types of egocentric people.

What is egocentricity?

Egocentricity is a personality trait that consists of the tendency to believe oneself to be the center of all external concerns and attentions due to an excessive value of oneself. An egocentric is one who considers that his opinions are more important than those of others, that the people around him live by and for him and that they are the center of the world.

This self-centered personality is, understandably, socially rejected. Therefore, although it is a very common trait in childhood due to immature brain development that means that the child does not yet have enough neuronal connections to have a vision of reality in which they are not the center, work must be done to prevent it from being expressed too much in adulthood.

And it is that this egocentric personality can lead to mistrust, excessive pride, hostile behavior towards others, a tendency to be offended by any criticism (egocentric people are hypersensitive to negative opinions), problems in personal relationships, little empathy, a distorted image of oneself, tendency to accept only one (his) vision of things, selfishness and even the development of aggressive behaviors or a narcissistic personality disorder.

The egocentrics project a lot of confidence in themselves but deep down they hide a great insecurity. They do not underestimate the criteria of other people, they simply ignore it, because they do not bother to put themselves in the "shoes" of others. Thus, self-centeredness is a personality trait and thought pattern that leads us to believe that we are the center of the universe and that only our opinions are valid.

What kinds of self-centered people are there?

Now, within this general definition, many nuances are hidden. And it is that egocentrism is not always expressed in the same way. In this personality trait, there are many different forms of expression. Therefore, below we are going to see the main types of egocentric people, looking at the psychological profile of each of them.

1. Egocentric star

The egocentric star is the one who is always looking for the applause of others and to see how it generates admiration in other people. His goal is to receive recognition and he always wants to be the best in everything, with attitudes that seek to make all eyes focus on him.

2. Egocentric Nero

The egocentric Nero is one who really wants to dominate the people around him. Thus, it is an egocentricity with a deep feeling of superiority that is expressed with the desire that others be at his mercy, constantly wanting to submit them to his will.

3. Childish egocentric

By childish egocentric we mean all those forms of self-centeredness that occur in childhood. As we have said, due to immature brain development, it is normal for young children to feel the center of the world. We are all self-centered in childhood.

4. Egocentric adolescent

By egocentric adolescent we understand all those forms of egocentricity that occur in adolescence, a time of life where, although the brain is already more developed, we feel the center of all negative opinions due to the hormonal changes we go through . It is common for adolescents to show a more or less pronounced egocentricity.

5. Adult egocentric

By adult egocentric we understand all those forms of egocentricity that occur in adulthood, after adolescence. It is a personality trait that we must correct or, at least silence, because when we are adults there is no longer a justification as clear as in the previous cases and this egocentricity it can lead to problems in both personal and professional life.

6. Self-centered Cinderella

The self-centered Cinderella is one who seeks, above all, to feel protected by others. Egocentrism is based on using victimhood as a strategy to receive emotional and / or physical protection, which is their way of feeling the center of attention. They are never guilty of anything. Always the victims. And they misrepresent situations when, despite being clearly guilty of something, they want to appear to be the victims.

7. Egocentric turtle

The egocentric turtle is one who shows himself as a heartless person, having a "shell" (hence the name) that protects them from a world that, according to him, hates it. He despises everything around him and, although he always projects an image of wanting to be left alone, this demand is precisely a way of seeking attention.

8. Silent egocentric

The silent egocentric is one who, to get people's attention, is constantly criticizing others. He always talks behind his back, resulting in a tremendously hypocritical person who changes his discourse depending on who he is with in order to always capture the attention of those around him.

9. Egocentric manipulative

The egocentric manipulator is one who, so that things always turn out the way he wants and thus be able to justify his delusions of grandeur, cheats, lies and uses others for his own benefit. As the name suggests, constantly manipulates situations misrepresenting the facts.

10. Deaf egocentric

The deaf egocentric is one who, to ensure that he is always the center of attention, is always speaking. He does not listen to others. And when it does, it doesn't pay attention. Just find the time to be the center of the conversation. Pretend to listen and cut the person at will, because, in addition, it also projects the typical trait of self-centeredness of considering that only their messages and opinions are important.

11. Insatiable egocentric

The insatiable egocentric is the one who adheres more to the personality trait of egocentricity of wanting to be the center of all eyes. With an insatiable hunger to be the focus of attention, He will do anything so that everyone is aware of what he does and / or what he says. They hate going unnoticed and get very frustrated when, being with other people, someone else is the center.

12. Egocentric know-it-all

The egocentric know-it-all is one who, as the main trait of the egocentric personality, has a tendency to make it appear that he knows absolutely everything. He gives his opinion on everything, he invalidates other people's speeches (even those of more educated people on the subject), he believes that he is always right, he gives advice on things in which he has no experience, he always answers despite not knowing the answer. He hates the idea of ​​others thinking that he is not good at everything.

13. Egocentric switch

The egocentric switch is one that, being closely associated with the deaf, constantly interrupts others. But in this case, it is not so much because he wants to be the one to guide the conversation, but because of the simple desire to prevent that person, speaking, from becoming the center of attention. Never let others finish talking to invalidate what to say.

14. Envious egocentric

The envious egocentric is one who feels deep frustration at the achievements and triumphs of the people around him. He cannot stand that others succeed in something, so he will do everything in his power to, out of toxic envy, detract from these achievements and ridicule those who have achieved them.

15. Egocentric rider

The egocentric rider is one who, in order to be the center of attention in a certain context, takes advantage of the information that someone has given him to spread it as his own. Take advantage of what other people say, copying speeches in order to structure his egocentric monologues. Usually, they are very easy to catch. And it is that this desire is so strong that they can even do this in front of the person who had first transmitted the information to them.