4.2 Colloquial Narcissism
In everyday speech, we often call someone “narcissistic” if they come across as self-centered, vain, or obsessed with their appearance and achievements. The term can be thrown around loosely whenever someone posts too many selfies or constantly talks about themselves. While some individuals who do these things might have narcissistic traits, it doesn’t necessarily mean they meet the criteria for NPD.
4.3 The Danger of Oversimplification
The meme’s assertion—that your interpretation of a circle-based optical illusion can reveal if you’re a narcissist—oversimplifies a deeply complex psychological construct. This is not to say that illusions or tests can’t be fun or spark interesting conversation. But it’s crucial to remember that diagnosing narcissism, or even labeling someone as narcissistic, requires far more than counting circles.
5. A Brief History of Personality Tests and Projective Measures
Though the circle meme is obviously not a legitimate psychological instrument, it does have roots in the broader context of projective tests and personality assessments that have long captivated both professionals and the public.
5.1 Early Beginnings
One of the earliest forms of “personality testing” can be traced back to the ancient Greeks, with Hippocrates’ theory of the four humors. Though not an “illusion,” it laid a foundation for thinking that internal dispositions could be discerned through observation—albeit in a rudimentary way.
5.2 Projective Tests
Projective tests gained prominence in the early 20th century. These include:
Rorschach Inkblot Test: Individuals interpret ambiguous inkblots, revealing underlying emotions and thought patterns.
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT): People create stories about ambiguous pictures, theoretically projecting their inner conflicts and desires onto the narrative.
These tests aim to bypass conscious defenses, tapping into deeper layers of the psyche. While widely used, they are also highly controversial, with critics questioning their reliability and validity.
5.3 Rise of Popular Personality Questionnaires
In the latter half of the 20th century, more structured tests emerged, such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and the Big Five Personality Test (measuring Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism). These instruments rely on systematic questionnaires rather than illusions, though they still have their own sets of critiques.
5.4 Pop Psychology and Internet Quizzes
The internet age ushered in a new era of quick, fun, and often scientifically dubious quizzes. From “Which Hogwarts House Are You In?” to “What Kind of Potato Are You?” these quizzes are more about entertainment and self-reflection than serious psychological measurement. The circle meme fits snugly into this tradition, even if it’s not labeled as a “quiz.”
6. How Perception May (or May Not) Reflect Personality
One of the underlying claims of the circle meme is that what you perceive can reveal who you are. Is there any scientific basis for this idea? The answer is nuanced.
6.1 Perception as a Constructive Process
Perception is not passive; our brains construct our visual reality using available sensory data and prior knowledge. Individual differences—such as attention, focus, or even mood—can influence what we see in ambiguous or complex images.
6.2 Personality Influences on Perception
There is some research suggesting that personality traits can slightly influence how we interpret ambiguous stimuli. For example, individuals high in neuroticism might be more likely to perceive threatening elements in ambiguous images. However, these correlations tend to be small, and the stimuli are usually carefully designed for controlled experiments—unlike a random circle meme on social media.
6.3 The Limits of a Single Image
Even in professional settings, multiple tests and observations are necessary to draw any conclusions about personality. A single glance at an optical illusion is unlikely to yield a robust measure of narcissism—or any other trait. The circle meme’s claim is more akin to a fun party trick than a scientifically validated approach.
7. Examining the “Circle Illusion” Step by Step
Let’s now take a closer look at the specific image behind the meme. In it, we see multiple concentric circles, all of which share a single center. Depending on how you focus, you might see:
A Single Circle: If your eye is drawn to the outermost circle, you might perceive the entire image as one big shape with a dot near the edge.
Multiple Concentric Circles: If you look carefully, you might count seven, eight, or more circles.
A Large Circle with a Small Circle: Some might see the outer ring as one circle and interpret the smaller ring in the middle as another circle, and so on.
The meme then typically claims something along the lines of: “If you see X number of circles, you’re normal, but if you see Y number of circles, you’re a narcissist.” The exact numbers can vary, depending on which version of the meme is circulating. Often, it is structured to pique curiosity or spark a reaction—people want to know if they “passed” or if they should be alarmed.
7.1 What’s Really Happening?
What’s happening is that the image can be perceived in different ways based on your focus, attention, and perhaps even your screen size or the device you’re using. If you’re on a small phone screen, you might not distinguish every single ring as easily as someone viewing it on a larger monitor. Lighting conditions, screen brightness, and even how quickly you scroll past the image all affect what you perceive.
None of these factors are indicative of narcissism. They’re simply quirks of visual processing.
8. The Role of Expectation, Suggestion, and Cognitive Bias
A significant part of why people might be inclined to believe this meme lies in the power of suggestion. When we’re told that a certain perception reveals something about our personality, we may look for confirmation. This is related to several well-known cognitive biases:
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