Although the name is not very well known, the symptom pattern that exists within this condition is extraordinarily familiar to almost everybody. It is a certainty that you will have met an individual who displays some or all of these characteristics:
- A conviction that they are eminently desirable
- The knowledge that almost everybody wants to have sex with him/her
- The belief that married friends know their partners fancy them
- A conviction that they become more sexy as they get older
- A belief that others are jealous of their sexiness/attractiveness
- A ‘recognition’ that they must be careful not to give the ‘wrong signals’ to the preferred sex.
When an individual with this condition decides that a particular person is ‘coming on’ to him or her, their belief is totally unshakeable. If the ‘target’ were to tell them that they were completely wrong, they will simply state that this was said out of embarrassment and that it is actually evidence of the huge desire that this person carries for them. Any attempt to convince them that their beliefs are erroneous, or based on fantasy, is likely to be met with a knowing smile and a comment along the lines that jealousy is a terrible thing. In less profound cases, the response might tend towards anger or aggression, along with accusations of self-interest and spite.
The condition is not dissimilar to Narcissistic Personality Disorder though it is concerned purely with sexuality.
The Answer
There really is not an answer for this situation, since the ‘owner’ of it does not perceive that there is a problem in the first place. It is an extremely rare circumstance for help to be sought but when it is, it is the domain of a competent therapist, since the underlying issue might well be one of poor self worth.
