Egocentric or selfish? Here are the signs that differentiate them, according to our psychologist

in collaboration with

Johanna Rozenblum (clinical psychologist)

Calling someone selfish or self-centered is not the same thing. Certainly, in both cases, you blame the person for only thinking about themselves (and not thinking enough about others in this case) which has the gift of annoying. But the two terms don’t really have the same implication. Our expert explains the nuance to us.

The selfish person thinks of his own interests first

In themselves, the selfish person is not inherently evil and is not totally detached from others. On the other hand, it generally places itself and listens to itself as a priority. “Selfishness refers to a behavior or attitude, where the person will give preference to their own interests, their own needs or desires, often to the detriment of others. points out Johanna Rozenblum.

In fact, focused on their own desire, the person may have difficulty sharing, for example, considering the needs of others. “But that doesn’t mean she’s insensitive to others! Rather, it means that it gives disproportionate, excessive priority to its own interests. Maybe because of its history.”

The egocentric person sees “the world” through themselves

For their part, the egocentric is also excessively focused on themselves and their own desires, but this goes well beyond acting selfishly.

“An egocentric person is dominated by their own points of view, their own needs, their own image. They will interpret everything through their prism of their own ego, which will bias his thinking. In fact, it simply cannot take into account the subjectivity of others and their perspectives.

Therefore, egocentrism is also characterized by a lack of consideration and empathy for others, since it is focused only on itself.