The key difference between selfish and self centered is that selfish people lack concern for others, whereas self centered people are excessively interested in themselves. Generally, both qualities induce individuals to think only of themselves by prioritizing themselves and their needs by ignoring that of others. Therefore, these words are only slightly different from each other. Selfishness is harmful to others, but self centeredness is not so.
Key Takeaways
- Selfish people lack concern for others and prioritize their own needs, while self centered people are excessively interested in themselves.
- Selfishness is harmful to others, whereas self centeredness is not necessarily harmful but can make it difficult to maintain social connections.
- Lack of empathy is the main cause of selfishness, while loneliness is often the reason for self centeredness.
What Does Selfish Mean?
Selfishness is being excessively concerned about oneself regardless of others. This is the opposite word of selflessness. When people are selfish, they become unkind and uncaring since they always try to prioritize themselves and neglect others. They fear that if they help someone, they might lose their resources, and that will affect them in reaching their goals. Such people do not do anything unless they get something in return.
The word selfish is formed by the combination of ‘self’-oneself, with ‘ish’-having the character of. A selfish person is too conscious of his needs and preoccupied with his own pleasure, welfare, and benefits. Selfish people try in various ways to gain all these and stay away from the things that make them frustrated. This can also be identified with their desperation to gain all the good things to themselves only without sharing or letting others have them. They are inconsiderate of others, and as a result, it is harmful to both groups, especially to others. It has been identified that lack of empathy is the main cause of selfishness. Western tradition views selfishness as immoral. The best way to deal with a selfish person is to understand the root cause for that behaviour and help him to erase it.
Qualities of a Selfish Person
Avoid responsibility
Take all the credit
Always pay attention to their advantages
Manipulate situations for their advantages
Bring other people down
Build themselves up
Do not value other peoples’ time
Not willing to share
Conceited
Uncaring
Unempathizing
Stingy
Reasons for Selfishness
Lack of empathy
Insecurity of not having enough
Being an only child
Being spoilt as a child
Too many goals and wants
What Does Self Centered Mean?
The meaning of self centered is giving excessive importance to oneself. Self centered people focus only on themselves, their benefits, and their welfare. They always do what is best for themselves, think about themselves and talk about themselves. This behaviour is also called egocentric, egoistic, and egoistical. They always work on themselves and put themselves first.
At present, psychologists do not see this as a negative trait, but in extreme situations, this may turn into a personality disorder. Such people find it difficult to cope with other people, especially because of their exaggerated talk about self-importance. Loneliness has been identified as the main reason for self centeredness. Compromising with a self centered person is easy by understanding their situation and by giving yourself the importance and the time you deserve.
Qualities of a Self Centered Person
See themselves better than the others
Little empathy
Strong opinions
Jealously
Dominant in conversations
Try to be superior
Only the takers
Give priority to themselves
Abusive in relationships
Accuse others
Hide their insecurities
What is the Difference Between Selfish and Self Centered?
The key difference between selfish and self centered is that selfish people lack concern for others while self centered people are excessively interested in themselves. Selfishness is harmful to others, but self centeredness is not so.
Summary – Selfish vs Self Centered
Selfishness is being excessively concerned about oneself regardless of others. Selfish people are only concerned about their happiness, welfare and benefits. They neglect others and their concerns. They do something only if it benefits them. There are several reasons for being selfish, but the main reason is the lack of empathy. Self centered is giving excessive importance to oneself. These people think and talk very highly of themselves and their achievements. This trait does not harm others, however, because of several reasons, including strong, opinionated, domineering nature and lack of empathy, maintaining social connections is difficult for such people. Thus, this is the summary of the difference between selfish and self centered.
