Megalomaniac: 7 Characteristics

Do you know anyone who has the conviction that everything he says, thinks or does is great? If the answer is yes, you are probably dealing with a megalomaniac. This is the type of person who despises others because he considers himself superior to them, due to an oversized egotism. Now, how to identify them?

Although it is quite common to find people proud of themselves, with an optimistic vision of their abilities and who believe they are capable of anything, sometimes it is not so easy to know if they are megalomaniacs or not. One clue would be that such a high self-perception is accompanied by a rejection or contempt of everyone around him for considering him inferior.

Megalomania is a psychological condition included in narcissistic personality disorder as a symptom according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM – V). However, to know if a person presents megalomania as part of a disorder, attention is paid to whether or not there are delusions, that is, if they experience fantasies of power, relevance and omnipotence that lead them to consider themselves as the best.

Historical figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Hitler, Stalin or Mao Zedong are personalities to whom traits of megalomania and narcissism are attributed ; traits that some of them impelled to the approach of nothing less than the conquest of the world.

If we delve into their idiosyncrasies, we discover that all of them believed themselves to be the only ones capable of saving their territories and conquering new countries to enhance their homeland. They saw themselves as indispensable saviors, in constant search of the enlargement of power in a spiral of true delirium.

And it is that people who manifest the impulse to rise as the sole agents of the greatest conquests, under the belief of having absolute power, experience a worsening of their pathological symptoms as a consequence, precisely, of believing themselves responsible and capable of what unattainable. As history has shown, they end up becoming dangerous rulers capable of the most reckless actions.

Thus, a megalomaniac has a disproportionate self-concept and craves social value, which he attributes to achieving positions of power and relevance. However, although they show a lot of self-confidence, if their personality is analyzed in depth, it can be detected that they are individuals with more deficiencies and an unexpected feeling of inferiority or social emptiness.

7 characteristics to spot a megalomaniac

• They are extremely conceited. They feel that their presence is essential in any meeting.
• They believe they are indestructible, capable of solving any problem that arises. They are capable of anything to gain power and this includes the manipulation of others.

• They behave as if they are omnipotent and like to test the abilities of the people around them to brag about them.
• They do not usually learn from their mistakes and, therefore, experience does not make them correct their mistakes.
• They have a narcissistic and idealized image of themselves.
• They notice how others react to what they do or say. If they are rejected by others because of their misbehaviors, they think that the problem belongs to others.
• Vanity, supported by a strongly overvalued ego and fueled by a marked superiority complex, makes them despise everything that does not refer to themselves.

What’s behind the personality of a megalomaniac?

The megalomaniac refuses to acknowledge that inside he harbors a fearful, self-conscious and lacking person. For this reason, he uses verbal aggression or the imposition of his false omnipotence as a defense mechanism.

On the other hand, because of his fear of being outclassed, he ridicules anyone who makes him feel threatened and as a consequence hurts everyone he perceives as a threat to his ego. However, behind that mask a person full of insecurity and with a feeling of incapacity takes refuge who struggles not to be vulnerable to others.

The arrogance and behavioral excess of the megalomaniac usually leads him to a situation of deep loneliness, since he is not usually accepted by others. Other times, it is he himself who isolates himself; his feeling of superiority keeps him out of interaction with those he considers inferior.

However, this loneliness, both received and self-imposed, leads to a strong feeling of emotional emptiness, which can further aggravate their discomfort and increase the pathological symptoms.