CosmosStag ·
The paradox is resolved by understanding narcissism as an addiction to an idea--to the idea of ones own superiority. This addiction is so strong that no therapy has been developed which enables people with NPD to recover. The term narcissism was coined by Freud and it is apt because it refers to a man who is obsessed with his own reflection (as opposed to his true self). So obsessed is he, that he fails to notice Echo's love for him before she wastes away, becoming nothing more than a voice that repeats anything he says. What could be a better depiction of a relationship with a narcissist? Something that might have given him real happiness is destroyed and becomes a mere extension of himself, merely because he cannot turn his face away from his image. A narcissist's greatest fear may be of dying alone, yet his actions virtually guarantee that he will do so. Such a sad character, yet at the same time any sympathy you have for him is wasted so you might as well not worry about it.