What Is An Echoist Trait (In Psychological Terms)?

A narcissist and echoist are thought to be on opposite ends of an extreme spectrum. You’re probably familiar with the term narcissism and what it means to have a narcissistic personality. Today though, I’d like to dedicate this blog to the topic of echoism.

Long story short: An echoist is someone who’s afraid to make other people uncomfortable.

It doesn’t stop there as, truth is, they don’t want to be uncomfortable themselves — taking up as little space as possible — tending to bury their own feelings and opinions.

Traits of an echoist

Sensitivity

Researchers suggest that people who are considered echoists are those who feel others’ opinions of them very intensely. They cannot let go of a negative comment about themselves, even if they know it has zero basis in reality. 

Low Self-Esteem

Everybody else comes first before them. They’ll take care of everyone else’s problems. In fact, their life will revolve around fixing things for other people, even when it’s at the cost of their own well-being.

Anxiety

Like everyone else, an echoist has opinions, beliefs, biases and judgments. However, they’re so afraid of how any of these things will make them appear. So, they push them down.

But, think about it!

Those emotions and thoughts have to materialize somehow.

And, they do. In the form of:

• Anxiety attacks
• Panic attacks
• Auto-immune disorders

Poor Boundaries

Our echoist friends say yes when they mean no. They’ll agree to disagree, choose not to speak up and don’t take a side.

Self-Effacing

Picture this: You meet someone at a convention you’ve been following for years and say,

“Girl! I’ve always wanted to meet you! You’ve been an inspiration to me and I just love what you stand for!”

Well, if she’s an echoist, you may hear something in return like,

“Oh, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I can’t imagine that’s me.”

She just will go out of her way to prove she’s not special. 

Never Ask For Help

Anything that would take the attention from something or someone else is a big no-no in their head. It might be an unconscious — or very conscious — way of distracting oneself from their own demands and worries. They just don’t want anyone else to worry, too.

Echoists are constantly afraid that if they have a need, it’ll appear to others as though they’re being selfish — when, in actuality, it’s important to speak up.

For more on echoism and a full break down on narcissism, check out The Chalene Show podcast below:

My hope is that this episode will give you a better understanding of people — from those you follow on social media to friends and family members in your life.

And don’t forget to subscribe to TCS for weekly shows committed to understanding the human condition — from good health to happiness to relationships to world issues and more!

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