AUTOPHILIA: SYMPTOMS, CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES, TREATMENT - PSYCHOLOGY - 2024

Autophilia is a colloquial word that is used to describe several different but related phenomena. On the one hand, in some contexts it is understood as an excessive love for oneself, which can sometimes be pathological. Under this definition, this phenomenon would be closely related to different types of disorders.

On the other hand, the word autophilia can also be used to describe an unusual love of loneliness. In this sense, it would be more related to phenomena such as introversion, so in principle it would not be pathological; but it could also have to do with problems such as social anxiety or shyness.

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Autophilia is not recognized as an actual psychological condition in any diagnostic manual. Because of this, there is no consensus on what symptoms have to exist for a person to be considered autophilic.

In this article we will examine the different meanings of the word to try to understand what most people mean when they use it.

Symptoms

The symptoms related to autophilia depend entirely on the meaning in which we are looking when using this word. Basically, this term can describe two totally different phenomena.

On the one hand there would be excessive self-love, similar to that which appears in narcissism. On the other, the search for solitude typical of introversion.

Autophilia as narcissism

In some contexts, individuals who possess a series of egocentric or narcissistic personality traits are called autophilic. These people would be characterized by having a distorted self-concept, which would lead them to think that they are superior to others and have a fragile self-esteem.

On the other hand, people considered autophilic according to this definition would have great difficulties in putting themselves in the place of others. This trait would be, therefore, in contrast to empathy, which is the ability to understand the feelings of other people with ease.

In general, people with this type of autophilia tend to manipulate others to achieve their goals. In addition, they would suffer many problems related to their way of being.

For example, they are usually quite selfish, envious, and pessimistic; and they try to make others feel bad to put themselves above them.

Autophilia as introversion

The second definition of autophilia implies a series of characteristics totally different from the ones we have just seen. Some people understand this condition as the desire to be alone often, preferring their own company to that of others. This, unlike the previous traits, would not have to be pathological at all.

Thus, the enjoyment of one's own solitude and the preference for moments alone would have a lot to do with a personality trait known as introversion.

People who possess it would often be overstimulated when in social situations, so they would need time to recover away from other individuals.

However, not all the cases in which a person prefers to be alone have to do with a harmless phenomenon such as introversion. Some individuals may suffer a strong fear of social relationships that prevents them from forming friendships or emotional ties, which causes them a lot of suffering.

In these cases, autophilia would describe a preference for loneliness imposed by fear, which would be considered pathological. Under this meaning, the term would be more related to others such as shyness or social phobia, both considered problems that can be solved.

Causes

As we have already seen, although there is no universally accepted definition of what the term means, autophilia is always related to some kind of personality trait. This means that, regardless of the type of autophilia we are referring to, the causes are various and complex.

The personality of each individual is formed through a complex interaction between biological, social and cultural factors. The genes that a person has, the hormones they received in the womb, their experiences during childhood and adulthood, and the culture in which they live determine the type of personality that they will eventually develop.

In cases where the term "autophilia" is used to refer to introversion, we cannot speak of concrete causes. This is because we don't know why some people prefer solitude while others are more outgoing.

However, when the word is used to talk about psychological problems such as narcissism and social phobia, we do know more about the possible causes of these phenomena.

In most cases, a biological predisposition to develop them is combined with a series of experiences that end up forming these traits.

Consequences

The consequences derived from autophilia also depend a lot on the meaning of the term that we are using. However, regardless of whether we are talking about a kind of introversion or some kind of psychological disorder, in most cases they will have a negative nuance.

This is because both introverts and those who have problems such as shyness, narcissism or self-centeredness have a trait that differentiates them from the social standard.

Because of this, they are more likely to feel isolated, to have difficulties in their relationships, and to need to learn to adapt consciously.

The negative effects of autophilia would, however, be much more pronounced if understood as a synonym for self-centeredness, narcissism or social anxiety. Any type of psychological disorder causes by definition a lot of problems in the lives of the people who suffer from it.

Is treatment needed?

As such, there is no treatment for autophilia, as it is not a recognized psychological condition in any diagnostic manual. However, we have already seen that in general it brings problems of a different nature, so it may be interesting to take some action to minimize the difficulties it causes.

People who are autophilic in the sense of being introverts, generally only have to learn to lead a lifestyle that allows them to function effectively in society while taking care of their own needs, which are different from those of the greater part of the population.

On the contrary, if we refer to people with autophilia to speak of a psychological disorder, it would be necessary to carry out some type of treatment to alleviate the most negative consequences of it.

Fortunately, both personality disorders and social anxiety can eventually disappear if you work on them.

References

1. "Definition of egocentrism" in: Definition Of. Retrieved on: March 04, 2019 from Definition Of: definition of.
2. "Egocentric personality: 15 characteristic traits" in: Psychology and Mind. Retrieved on: March 04, 2019 from Psychology and Mind: psicologiaymente.com.
3. "What are narcissistic people like?" en: The Mind is Wonderful. Retrieved on: March 04, 2019 from La Mente es Maravillosa: lamenteesmaravillosa.com.
4. "8 signs you're an introvert" at: VeryWell Mind. Retrieved on: March 04, 2019 from VeryWell Mind: verywellmind.com.
5. "Autophilia" in: Wiktionary. Retrieved on: March 04, 2019 from Wiktionary: en.wiktionary.org.