Psychology: Understanding narcissism — ESL vocabulary lesson

This psychology lesson plan is designed to introduce learners to the concept of narcissism, exploring its origins, traits, and distinctions between healthy and pathological forms. Targeted at intermediate to advanced learners, the lesson focuses on key psychological vocabulary, common expressions for discussing personality traits, and realistic scenarios related to identifying narcissistic behaviors in relationships, work, or daily life.

By engaging with visual aids, discussions, and interactive activities, students will build confidence in describing personality traits, expressing opinions about behaviors, and analyzing examples. The lesson emphasizes empathy, self-awareness, and cultural sensitivity, allowing learners to reflect on narcissism in their own contexts while understanding its impact on mental health and relationships.

Basic vocabulary

Introduce essential words related to narcissism. These should be straightforward, commonly used in psychology, and relevant to understanding the trait.

Vocabulary list

• Narcissism: Excessive interest in oneself and one’s appearance or abilities (e.g., healthy self-love or pathological self-obsession).
• Grandiosity: An exaggerated sense of one’s importance or abilities (e.g., believing one is superior to others).
• Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of others (e.g., showing concern for a friend’s problems).
• Admiration: Praise or approval from others (e.g., needing constant compliments).
• Entitlement: Believing one deserves special treatment (e.g., expecting priority without reason).
• Exploitation: Using others for personal gain (e.g., taking credit for someone else’s work).
• Arrogance: Showing an offensive attitude of superiority (e.g., looking down on others).
• Self-esteem: Confidence in one’s own worth or abilities (e.g., healthy vs. fragile self-esteem).
• Vulnerability: Sensitivity to criticism or rejection (e.g., feeling deeply hurt by feedback).
• Myth: A traditional story explaining a phenomenon (e.g., the Greek myth of Narcissus).
• Self-centeredness: A personality trait or behavioral pattern characterized by an excessive focus on one’s own needs, desires, interests, and perspectives, often at the expense of considering or prioritizing others.

Vocabulary for extension

• Pathological: Related to a disorder or disease (e.g., pathological narcissism causing harm).
• Grandiose: Overtly boastful and confident form of narcissism (e.g., showing off achievements).
• Vulnerable: Covert, insecure form of narcissism (e.g., hypersensitivity to criticism).
• Personality disorder: A long-term pattern of abnormal behavior (e.g., Narcissistic Personality Disorder).
• Manipulation: Controlling others subtly for one’s benefit (e.g., gaslighting to cause doubt).
• Envy: Jealousy of others’ success (e.g., believing others are envious of them).
• Fantasy: Unrealistic dreams of power or success (e.g., fantasizing about unlimited fame).
• Criticism: Negative feedback (e.g., reacting angrily to constructive comments).
• Self-reflection: Thinking about one’s own behavior (e.g., examining one’s flaws).
• Healthy narcissism: Normal self-confidence and self-love (e.g., pride without harming others).

Teaching tips

• Use visuals like the myth of Narcissus paintings or diagrams of narcissism models to connect vocabulary to concepts.
• Practice pronunciation of words like “grandiosity” (gran-dee-OS-i-tee) or “empathy” (EM-pa-thee).
• Create flashcards with words on one side and examples or images on the other for recall.

Useful phrases

Teach sentence structures for discussing narcissism. These phrases should be adaptable for opinions and analysis.

Key phrases

Describing traits

• “He/She has a sense of [grandiosity/entitlement].”
• “They show a lack of [empathy].”
• “It seems like [healthy/pathological] narcissism.”

Expressing opinions

• “What do you think about this behavior?”
• “Is this an example of [grandiose/vulnerable] narcissism?”
• “Does this sound healthy or problematic to you?”

Discussing examples

• “They often seek [admiration/excessive praise].”
• “This person tends to [exploit/manipulate] others.”
• “They react badly to [criticism].”

Analyzing impact

• “How does this affect [relationships/friends]?”
• “It might cause [problems/conflict] because…”
• “In my opinion, it’s [arrogant/self-centered].”

Teaching tips

• Display phrases on a board and model them (e.g., “They show a lack of empathy when ignoring others’ feelings.”).
• Have learners substitute real examples (e.g., “They often seek admiration by boasting.”).
• Emphasize neutral, analytical tones for discussions to promote understanding without judgment.

Example conversations

Provide realistic dialogues modeling discussions about narcissism. These progress from basic to detailed.

Conversation 1: Basic description

Alex: Have you heard of narcissism?
Sarah: Yes, it’s when someone is too focused on themselves.
Alex: Right, like needing a lot of admiration.
Sarah: Or showing grandiosity, thinking they’re better than everyone.
Alex: Exactly, and often lacking empathy.

Conversation 2: Adding details

Maya: I know someone who always exaggerates their achievements.
Tom: That sounds like grandiose narcissism.
Maya: Yeah, they get angry at criticism, too.
Tom: But vulnerable narcissism is more about feeling insecure and envious.
Maya: Interesting—both can cause problems in relationships.

Conversation 3: More advanced

Lila: In psychology, what’s the difference between healthy and pathological narcissism?
Omar: Healthy is normal self-confidence, like feeling proud without harming others.
Lila: And pathological, like Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
Omar: Yes, with traits like entitlement, exploitation, and no empathy.
Lila: It can really affect friends or family—constant manipulation or arrogance.
Omar: True, but awareness helps us respond with boundaries.

Teaching tips

• Role-play dialogues, switching roles to practice describing and analyzing.
• Encourage personalization (e.g., relate to media characters or anonymized examples).
• In groups, have pairs create their own dialogues about a famous figure or scenario.

Teaching strategy

Here’s a 45-minute lesson plan.

Step 1: Warm-up (5 minutes)

• Ask: “What comes to mind when you hear ‘narcissism’?”
• Note ideas on the board (e.g., self-love, vanity).
• Show an image from the Narcissus myth and briefly describe it.

Step 2: Vocabulary introduction (10 minutes)

• Present lists with visuals/diagrams.
• Practice pronunciation and examples (e.g., “Give an example of entitlement.”).

Step 3: Phrase practice (10 minutes)

• Model phrases and have learners complete sentences (e.g., “They show a lack of ____.”).
• Pair practice substituting ideas.

Step 4: Conversation practice (15 minutes)

• Read examples aloud. Role-play in pairs, adapting with personal opinions.
• Discuss: “Is this healthy or pathological?”

Step 5: Wrap-up and personalization (5 minutes)

• Share: “One example of narcissism I’ve seen is…”
• Feedback on vocabulary/phrases.
• Homework: Describe a character from a movie/book showing narcissistic traits.

Additional tips

• Cultural sensitivity: Narcissism views vary by culture (e.g., individualism vs. collectivism).
• Visual aids: Use myth paintings, mirror images, or narcissism models.
• Adapt for level: Beginners focus on basic traits; advanced discuss subtypes/disorders.
• Technology: Share screens with diagrams or short psychology clips.

Common mistakes to address

• Grammar: “They lack empathy” not “They lack of empathy.”Pronunciation: “Narcissism” (NAR-sis-iz-um).
• Word choice: Distinguish “healthy self-esteem” vs. “pathological grandiosity.”

Example activity

Analyze a Scenario” game.

• Give prompts (e.g., “A boss takes credit for teamwork,” “A friend gets upset at mild feedback”).
• Pairs discuss traits/phrases.
• Share and vote: Healthy or pathological?

Homework or follow-up

• Writing: Write 5 sentences describing narcissistic behavior in daily life.
• Speaking: Record a short opinion on healthy vs. pathological narcissism.
• Research: Look up the Narcissus myth or a real example (e.g., in media) and summarize in