Narcissism is one of the different  types of personality disorders that  can greatly affect a persons way of life.Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a mental condition in which the person has an inflated ego and has a need for attention. They believe that they are the most important person and should be treated as such. People around them may often times get hurt by certain actions, but it is important to note that it is not intentional. These people don’t want to hurt others, they just want to be noticed. Much like Pechorin in “ A hero of our time”  and Sanin in “ The Torrents of Spring” they  want to be loved and be able to love,  therefore they shouldn’t be blamed for their actions. Their actions are affected by their condition and don’t fully have control of their emotions

According to Mayo Clinic, “ behind this mask of extreme confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that’s vulnerable to the slightest criticism”. Meaning that people may seem very self confident but in reality, they are very vulnerable. And because of this they seek attention, to reassure themselves that they matter even though they feel that they don’t. So they hide their insecurities and shame. It is also stated that “Narcissistic personality disorder may be linked to: mismatches in parent-child relationships with either excessive adoration or excessive criticism that is poorly attuned to the child’s experience” which means that this disorder isn’t necessarily genetic but is triggered by repeated events of criticism or humiliation. So it was caused by someone who may have been of importance to the child and as a result they took the persons criticism to heart. So a person with narcissism can also be someone who is easily swayed by what people say In order to maintain the Image they have.

Like Sanin from “The Torrents of Spring”. Through out the book Sanin has narcissistic characteristics but is also made to seem like a push over, easily swayed by others suggestions. For example on page 176 Maria is pouring  him a cup of tea and uses her fingers to add sugar,  “ though sugar tongs were lying close by…’Oh, please!…From such a lovely hand” it’s as though he didn’t really understand why she did that and maybe even felt a little uncomfortable but went along with it and even acted as though it was a privilege for him. Then again on page 180, Maria invites him for a walk and coffee and he says he already has had coffee but will accompany her and she insist that  he give her his arm.” ‘Very well, give me your arm then ; don’t be afraid : your betrothed is not here— she won’t see you.’Sanin gave a constrained smile. He experienced a disagreeable sensation every time Maria Nikolaevna referred to Gemma. However he made haste to bend towards her obediently.” Again he goes along with what she suggests and this time it says obediently, while other times he makes it seem as though it is his decision to go along with her  suggestions  this time he just does it as soon as she asks. Others may argue that it is because he is interested in Maria and wants to seduce her  but I would disagree because in this part of the book Sanin is just getting to know Maria and makes it very clear to her that Gemma has his heart. So he isn’t exactly going along with her suggestions because he likes her, it’s more because he is afraid of being judged or criticized which is part of his narcissistic traits. Instead of being overly confident he prefers to be calmer and just follow what other say. It’s his way of avoiding any kind of situation that could put him in a position that would allow other to criticize him. 

Unlike Sanin, Pechorin from “A hero of Our Time” portrays his narcissism very openly. His behavior   is what most people think about when they think about narcissism, a selfish, manipulative person with an inflated self of importance. According to Psycom  “If you are living with narcissistic personality disorder, it is probably affecting your everyday life. . . in a negative way. In general, you may be unhappy with life in general and disappointed when others are not admiring you or giving you special treatment and attention.” This is true for Pechorin who was more than disappointed. Mary’s lack of recognition of him set the bases for his plan of getting her to fall for him.When he first met Mary he was puzzled because his presence was ignored, and her attention was on Grushnitsky. On page 89 he says “This sensation was envy: I boldly say ‘envy’ because I am used to being frank with myself in everything, and it is doubtful if there can be found a young man who, upon meeting a pretty woman who has riveted his idle attention and has suddenly given obvious preference to another man equally unknown to her, it is doubtful, let me repeat, that there can be found a young man (provided, of course, that he has lived in the grand monde and is accustomed to indulge his vanity), who would not be unpleasantly struck by this.” He is excusing his astoundment by saying that any man would feel uneasy if a women he caught their attention bypassed them for the next man. This could be true but the problem is that pechorin felt deeply hurt by Mary’s actions when they were strangers to each other. This is his Narcissism that is amplifying his emotions and causing her actions to seem more offensive then they really are. Because of his narcissism her actions affected his pride more than they would a normal person therefore affecting his actions that follow. Everything he does from now on is with the thought that he has to regain his pride and make sure that he is seen as superior and not someone who can be easily ignored. 

According to PsychAlive “Professor Brad Bushman of the Ohio State University put it bluntly, when he said: “Narcissists are very bad relationship partners.” Studies show that in a narcissistic relationship, your partner is more likely to engage in manipulative or game playing behaviors and less likely to be committed long-term.”  We see these complications with Pechorin and Sanin who are unable to maintain relationships with women and friends  Pechorin’s actions are based of his need for being noticed and Sanin does things so he isn’t noticed and criticized. Pechorin was unable to maintain a relationship with Mary whom he seduced without really loving her and Vera whom  he actually loved but could not have. Pechorin seduced Mary but ultimately his narcissistic actions put an end to that relationship and he confessed that he didn’t love her. Then with Vera he was having a secret romance with her while he was with Mary but also could not have a real relationship with her because she had a husband and when he finally decided he wanted to be with her Vera had been sent away. If he had decided to be with her sooner and focused on only her, he could have convinced her to leave with him, but his image was more important. There  is also Sanin who was unable to keep his relationship with Gemma and Mary but for a different reason. Because he is easily influenced his relationship with Gemma did not last long. Even though he did love her his fear of being criticized lead him to fall for Maria and leave Gemma. But even then he was also not able to be with Maria because Maria never really loved him. He was unable to commit to Gemma and was unable to have Maria which left him hurt but he chose to reflect on his actions..

People who feel they were wronged could go to extreme measures to change people’s view of them because they can’t bare to be criticized. So when Pechorin killed Grushnitsky in the duel it wasn’t really his fault. It was his fear of being criticized that led him to the duel but it was also Grushnitsky’s actions. He knew that he was spreading rumors and also knew the consequences of doing so. Even though Pechorin knew he was being wronged he gave Grushnitsky a chance to retract his statement but Grushnitsky denied. This  shows how Pechorin didn’t really want to kill him. In fact Pechorin was aware that something was wrong with him. According  medical research by HealthDirect “It can be difficult for someone with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) to seek treatment since they generally do not recognize they have a problem”so most people don’t acknowledge that they are not okay and prefer not to do anything about it, but this is not true. We can see with Pechorin that he  acknowledges his  actions and knows that something is wrong with him but  doesn’t understand why he does these things.

 Through out the book he was conversations with a doctor and himself where he kind of reflects on what he is doing. Sanin is also able to reflect on his actions and asks for forgiveness. On page 236 of Torrents of spring it says  “In the letter he told her he was writing to her from Frank fort, where he had come solely with the object of finding traces of her, that he was very well  aware that he was absolutely without a right to expect that she would answer his appeal ; that he had not deserved her forgiveness… He added that he had made up his mind to recall himself to her memory in consequence of a chance circumstance which had too vividly brought back to him the images of the past ; he described his life, solitary, childless, joyless; he implored her to understand the grounds that had induced him to address her, not to let him carry to the grave the bitter sense of his own wrongdoing.” In this letter he is saying to Gemma that he reflected on his past and understand that his wrongdoing are unforgivable.

So people with narcissism are able to understand that their actions are wrong but are unable to do anything not because they don’t want to but because they can’t help it, that’s the nature of their condition. This further demonstrates that people with Narcissism, specifically Pechorin and Sanin, can not be blamed for their actions because they are not entirely themselves. It is their Narcissistic personality disorder that controls them and amplifies their emotions leading them to do things they feel will help their situation.