A certain amount of narcissism is seen as healthy for the individual and is part of our social make-up...it's only when the individual displays an exaggerated idea of their own importance in excessive self-promotion that NPD is suspected.

We all feel empowered when our worth is recognised by our social group, however, it's often more socially acceptable if we allow it to be ascertained without us resorting to blowing our own trumpets.

Poirot

Exactly.

Very well expressed, and I have, perhaps, been remiss in not acknowledging, at equal length, healthy self-regard/self confidence. Or would this be better served on another thread?

A confident self-assured person is a positive; someone comfortable in their own skin able to contribute freely to the well-being of others, the world would be a malign place without them. And fortunately, they are in the majority.

The same cannot be said about a self-obsessed person, which is what this topic is questioning. You may be interested in listening to Background Briefing on Sunday:

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/stories/2011/3243670.htm

I know nothing about this man, but am interested in what makes some people place so much importance on levels of power and money beyond what they require to live a more than comfortable existence.

My parents taught me that if you need to brag about yourself, you're probably not that good at what you're bragging about. It's the insecure who can't be humble. They seemed to feel that it's an unspoken inner strength that doesn't require the need for praise. That if you feel secure within yourself there's no need to brag. They were very "old school." Come to think of it so was my Scottish Headmistress (all girl's school) - who had the mantra "Always be a lady no matter where you are - for as a lady you'll obtain much and travel far!" Quaint - right? Her aim was that girls should be raised to "grace any social gathering."

Having said that though, we discovered an entirely different attitude that Americans had - when we lived and worked in Los Angeles for close to ten years. There the opposite was true. You had to "sell" yourself - and if you didn't then they suspected you "were'nt damn good!" So my husband and I had to totally re-adjust to a new mind set and act accordingly in order to survive. When we returned to Oz - we were thought to be totally abnoxious by our friends. It took us a while to return to what was considered "acceptable" in this country

cont'd ...

"You have to do a little bragging on yourself even to your
relatives-man doesn't get anywhere without advertising."
(John Nance Garner - American Vice President - 1868-1967).

But then there's:

"Tell me what you brag about and I'll tell you what
you lack."
(Spanish proverb).

To each his own. Cultures vary. However I do wonder about the difference between conceit and confidence?

Difference between conceit and confidence?

Col-lateral damage.

Dear bonmot,

Very clever.

Seriously though, basically It comes down to how you express yourself. If you make yourself sound as though you think you're better than others, that's conceited thinking. Confidence is a feeling of trust in one's self. Yes, I can get the job done.

You can exude confidence without over emphasising it. Much the same way you can be angry at someone while remaining respectful to them.
The art is learning how to express ourselves in ways that don't create confrontation and conceited people have difficulty with that.