Readers familiar with Greek mythology will remember Narcissus as an egotistical man who scorned the love of a nymph named Echo and so was cursed by the gods to fall in love with his own reflection in a pond. Enthralled by his own beauty, he refused to leave his image even to eat or sleep, and he slowly wasted away. Some say that was the end to it, whereas others say that he turned into the narcissus flower. Either way, his vanity became his curse, leading to his tragic ending.Many similar cautionary tales of the ancient Greeks, who were strong proponents of accurate self-perception and humility, demonstrate clearly their hearty disapproval of narcissism. Even centuries later, modern psychology looks on it unfavorably enough to deem it a disorder. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994), individuals with narcissistic personality disorder exhibit a grandiose sense of self-importance and an unreasonable sense of entitlement. These individuals are interpersonally exploitative and have deficits in empathy and a need for excessive admiration (see also chap. 2, this volume).Not many people actually qualify as having a narcissistic personality disorder, although overly positive self-evaluations (i.e., self-enhancement bias) are pervasive in today's U.S. society (Taylor & Brown, 1988). In the 1970s, nicknamed the "Me Decade," people began to turn toward concentrating on their own desires and pleasures. The self began to gain popularity quickly then, and snowballed into the egocentric culture of today.With the recent trend of elevated self-esteem and bigger egos, psychologists have begun to explore the nuances and ramifications of self-enhancement bias, leading to a debate that has spanned 3 decades and continues today. Is self-enhancement good or bad? As it turns out, the answer here, as in any complex situation, is "It depends." Some studies have found that self-enhancement is beneficial to adjustment, whereas other studies have found that self-