An opinion column in El Mundo questions the trend of people who, after attending therapy, diagnose others with disorders like narcissism. The author shares personal anecdotes to illustrate how this leads to unfair judgments. She argues that only professionals should make such evaluations.
In an opinion column published on October 21, 2025, in El Mundo's Culture section, titled 'No podemos ser todos narcisistas,' Irene Cuevas and Nacho Vigalondo's editorial explores the rise of 'amateur psychologists.' The piece starts with an anecdote: a friend had lunch at Señor Martin restaurant, where they ordered pargo, and his partner diagnosed him with narcissism.
The author describes a cultural phenomenon where people attending therapy feel like experts. For instance, a friend who learned about repression prefers systemic therapy over cognitive-behavioral and states it with 'the certainty of a hundred seas.' In another story, the columnist confesses to a vegan friend her guilt for loving animals but eating red meat; the reply is: 'Of course, you have cognitive dissonance.'
It mentions a friend consulting narcissism symptoms with family in Murcia. Empathy arises from the instinct of those doing self-criticism: 'If I'm making the effort to self-criticize and hate myself, you could do the same, you son of a bitch.'
The author, who recommends the birth control pill for various ailments despite its risks after nearly 20 years, notes that more people go to psychologists today without stigma, feeling empowered. She suggests returning to shame or accepting offenses as narcissists. She concludes: 'But if my psychologist hasn't told me, don't tell me. Because you might be wrong, or worse, right, and who wants to anger a narcissist?'.
The column emphasizes boundaries in mutual psychoanalysis, promoting self-discovery without others' judgments.