Sikandar in Persian literature: Narcissistic leadership in childhood and adolescence

Authors

Naheed P. Malbari, nil

Abstract

This paper is a hermeneutic phenomenological study of Sikandar, also known as Alexander the Great, from the point of view of two Persian texts interlaced with Plutarch's version. It explores the lived experience of the childhood ofSikandar on the one hand via the texts ofFirdawsi and Nizami Ganjavi and on the other, explores the concept of narcissism in childhood and early adolescence in Persian Literature. Thus seven areas of narcissism were analysed namely grandiose self, high levels of activity, histrionic tendencies, impulsivity, antagonistic interpersonal stance, strong supportive mother and frustrated ambition of parents. As a prelude to a much larger study, this paper hopes to see the impact of certain characteristics of narcissism in childhood and early adolescence as given by the authors so as to gain an understanding that such concepts were delved into by medieval authors in poetic and other forms. Understanding leaders both ancient and modern is a complex phenomenon. To comprehend their childhood and explore it as a social construct and analyze its impact on leaders is of concern to social scientists in the 21^st century.

Keywords

Hermeneutic phenomenology, Narcissism, Childhood

DOI

https://doi.org/10.54784/1990-6587.1361

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Malbari, N. P. (2015). Sikandar in Persian literature: Narcissistic leadership in childhood and adolescence. Business Review, 10(2), 170-187. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.54784/1990-6587.1361