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What Exactly Is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

A healthy (even sometimes inflated) sense of cocky can exist a practiced thing. In fact, some researchers believe those who have somewhat grandiose views of themselves are mentally tougher, less stressed, and less at risk for depression. However, narcissism exists on a spectrum: On one side, information technology's craving the occasional compliment. On its darkest side, it tin can pitter-patter into pathological territory.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is one of 10 personality disorders recognized in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The authentication signs of NPD read similar laundry list of what Not to wait for in a meaning other: An inflated sense of self-importance, a lack of empathy for others, and a deep need for constant attention or admiration.

While someone with NPD's self-esteem can be off the charts, ironically, information technology can besides be super fragile, dependent on external validation, or cocky-deception. They'll believe grandiose fantasies most themselves (i.due east. they're smarter, more attractive, and successful than everyone they know), hands put other people down, and generally hijack whatever chat/situation to make themselves feel ameliorate or superior. Feeling "less than perfect" is very uncomfortable for a narcissist, and they'll protect themselves from it at all costs.

A personality disorder like NPD is about disturbed relationships, says Modesto, California-based psychologist Robert Moody, PhD. "People with personality disorders, as a grade, have a lifetime of struggles with intimate, interpersonal relationships with their family unit, friends, and co-workers—and that's particularly true for those with narcissistic personality disorder."

The disorder affects anywhere from 0.5 to 5% 1of the general US population with a greater prevalence in men than women.2 The per centum is low because, in order to be diagnosed, someone with NPD has to admit they have bug—which they oft don't. "The existent problem with a narcissistic personality disorder is that the individual lacks skilful insight into what's going on," says Dr. Moody. "They think that the problem is all well-nigh anybody else, not them."

And it tin can manifest differently in men versus women. According to research, compared to males, a narcissistic female personality is more likely to include deep insecurity, martyrdom, jealousy, and competitiveness with other women, often seeing them every bit a "threat" (think the overbearing mother-in-law).three Men on the other hand are more likely than women to exploit others and feel entitled to certain privileges. They're also more apt to exhibit qualities of assertiveness or power hunger.

However, this is not to say these traits are exclusive to either sex. When information technology comes to vanity and self-absorption, both sexes rate equally.

Narcissism Subtypes

When you think of a narcissist, certain people you lot know may come to mind: case in point, the guy at the gym in the also-tight tank who'due south more concerned with how his muscles look in the mirror than really working out; the co-worker who fills her Insta feed with her face—at every angle. Only narcissism isn't just virtually looking pretty: At that place are, in fact, a few different types of narcissists.

Narcissism Subtypes

Narcissism Subtypes

#1. The Covert Narcissist (or vulnerable narcissist). Basically the exact opposite of the stereotypical type, instead of peckish the spotlight and constant admiration, covert narcissists tend to exist shy, self-effacing, hypersensitive to how others perceive them, and chronically envious. They often think their hurting or suffering is worse than anybody else'southward—and may even believe they're the ugliest person in the room.

#2. The Cognitive Narcissist. They derive their self-importance from their intellect, assertive they're smarter than everyone else.

#3. The Somatic Narcissist. Somatic narcissists get their self-worth from their bodies. They tend to obsess over physical appearance, including weight, and criticize others based on their appearance.

#4. The Spiritual Narcissist. They use religion or spirituality to intimidate or justify harmful behaviors to others that can creep in when an individual takes a "holier than chiliad" stance, overemphasizing their level of spirituality or closeness to God. Harmful behaviors can happen when, as an instance, a church leader claims they had a vision from God about someone else, or that they're in a "college" position to use Biblical passages to control, hurt, or shame someone.

Other types mentioned in NPD enquiry include grandiose, or "overt"—that stereotypical over-the-acme, attention-seeking blazon—and high-functioning, significant those who may use traits such every bit competitiveness and exploitation to succeed in a profession or endeavour.

However, it should be noted that there is a broad spectrum of presentable traits with NPD, each with varying levels of severity, so subtypes should be used as guides rather than difficult-and-fast rules.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

Narcissism is a label that gets thrown effectually a lot, especially when someone seems conceited or acts out of cocky-involvement, says psychologist Kristina Hallett, PhD, ABPP, associate professor of graduate psychology and the director of clinical preparation at Bay Path University in Connecticut. "Only a narcissistic action every now and and then isn't the same as having a personality disorder." With the latter, a narcissist'south self-captivated and cocky-centered way of thinking and behaving surfaces in every area of their life, from work and friendships to family unit and beloved relationships.

The nine well-nigh common traits for NPD include:

  • Having an inflated sense of self-importance and entitlement. Deep downwardly, you feel like yous're the best, nigh successful, competent, [insert praise here] in whatsoever state of affairs.
  • Needing abiding admiration. Your cocky-esteem is similar a balloon without a knot, requiring a steady stream of attention, approving, and recognition to keep information technology inflated. No matter how much someone tells y'all that they beloved or look up to y'all, it feels similar information technology's never enough.
  • Expecting special treatment. Whether it's favors or apologies, any you want, you believe you deserve to have it—because you lot're superior to everyone around you, and they know it and should comply.
  • Exaggerating achievements and talents. You have no trouble embellishing the facts—or even outright lying—nigh your life, resume, and experiences.
  • Reacting negatively to criticism. Fifty-fifty though you crave control and take full credit when things are going well, you're quick to arraign others whenever a state of affairs doesn't go as planned. Information technology's extremely hard to have criticism or admit to mistakes considering, naturally, it'south ever someone else's fault, not yours.
  • Being preoccupied with fantasies about ability, success, and beauty. You tend to create and believe exaggerated, unrealistic narratives around your success, relationships, even how good you look to help you experience special and in control. Anything that threatens the fantasy is rationalized away or simply ignored. You also want people to feel envious of you lot, and you experience pretty envious of people who have what you desire.
  • Taking reward of others. You often don't think twice most using or exploiting other people to achieve your ain ends—whether maliciously or obliviously. You care about your relationships and the people in your life on a superficial level—if they elevate your social status, or make you look or feel good, for instance—and you don't actually think about how your behavior might affect them.
  • Having an disability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others. You're super sensitive to how people treat you and react to your needs and feelings, but on the flip side, you can't put yourself in other people's shoes and sympathize with their experiences. You might belittle others or fifty-fifty peachy people to feel ameliorate about yourself. You never really "become deep" in any of your relationships, either—and, frankly, it doesn't carp yous all that much.
  • Behaving in an arrogant manner. With an inflated ego and sense of superiority and entitlement, you probably insist on having the best everything—the best automobile, office, designer clothes—monopolize conversations, look down on people you perceive as "inferior," and only acquaintance with those you think are every bit special, successful, and talented.

How Is Egotistic Personality Disorder Diagnosed?

NPD is not the kind of condition that can be diagnosed with a claret examination, MRI, or verbal scale, and according to the DSM-5, a person needs to exhibit only 55% of the to a higher place traits, symptoms, and behaviors to exist considered narcissistic. But nailing down NPD tin can be a little more than complicated.  Since narcissists tend to call back in that location's nothing wrong with them, they rarely enter treatment.

This in part may explain why we might feel we know and encounter many narcissists, but only an estimated 5% of people actually take NPD. (This is also why you can't inquire your therapist to diagnose your narcissistic husband with the disorder if he doesn't call up he has a problem.)

Narcissism hinges on personality traits alone—most of which are objectively negative (information technology's pretty piece of cake to label someone with these tendencies every bit, well, a jerk). Simply psychologists want to exist extremely conscientious about pathologizing someone's personality.

A clinical NPD diagnosis is given to someone who's experiencing social and occupational damage and subjective distress—which is a fancy way of maxim that their narcissistic behavior is non but messing with their piece of work and personal lives, only they're really aware that it's destructive, and it's making them uncomfortable.

In other words, if a self-entitled, grandiose, empathy-defective person doesn't come across a problem with the style they live their life, they're simply just a narcissist—full cease. A clinician ordinarily won't diagnose a narcissist with NPD until they're struggling with their behavior and seek help to change information technology.

"These individuals most frequently come up to therapy to either a) get back up for their perspective; or b) because a family member is insisting and information technology's easier to comply," says Dr. Hallett. Sometimes, information technology takes facing a serious ultimatum, failure, or loss for someone with this personality blazon to go assist, and information technology's not uncommon for them to seek treatment for another mental health problem birthday, similar depression.

What Causes Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

There's no single crusade of NPD. Only, researchers concord that both genetic and environmental causes are at play. Individuals with narcissistic personality disorder have been establish to have less volume of grayness matter in the left anterior insula, the part of the brain related to empathy, emotional regulation, compassion, and cerebral operation.

It can be hard to resist the confidence, assertiveness, and excitement that surrounds a person with narcissistic personality disorder. But those aforementioned traits that drew you to that person in the first place may eventually become a turnoff when you start to notice the impact of their unemotional response to relationships, the cruelty of their lack of empathy for others, and the grandiose belief they are greatly of import and should be treated equally such.

"Past definition, personality disorders are developed over time and through babyhood experiences, genetics, and environment," says Dr. Hallett, noting that as an adult, narcissistic traits on their own are not likely to develop into a personality disorder. Oft, NPD will brainstorm in the teenage years or early on adulthood.

Personality disorders are typically diagnosed at eighteen years or older, according to Dr. Hallett. The matter to go along in mind with kids is that some narcissistic traits are simply merely typical of their historic period (teenagers past definition are self-absorbed), and information technology doesn't hateful they'll go on to develop a full-blown disorder.

Scientists believe that the full onset of NPD may occur when interpersonal development is compromised, for instance:

  • Being born with an oversensitive temperament
  • Learning manipulative behavior from parents or peers
  • Being excessively praised for good behaviors and excessively criticized for bad behaviors
  • Suffering from severe childhood corruption or neglect
  • Inconsistent or unpredictable parental caregiving
  • Growing up with unrealistic expectations from parents
  • Existence excessively pampered or overindulged past parents, peers, or family members
  • Being excessively admired with no realistic feedback to footing you with reality
  • Receiving excessive praise from parents or others focused on your looks or abilities

[Click to Larn More: 9 Signs You are Married to a Narcissist and What to Do About It]

What Are the Treatments for Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

For those who do seek help, "psychotherapy, as well called talk therapy, can assistance by working to increase empathy and pity," says Dr. Hallett. Meeting with a therapist, you'll larn how to better relate to others, which can encourage more functional and improved interpersonal relationships, every bit well equally gain a improve understanding of your own emotions and why you feel the way y'all do. Along the manner, your therapist might work with y'all on:

  • Accepting and maintaining relationships with co-workers and family unit
  • Tolerating criticisms and failures
  • Understanding and regulating your feelings
  • Minimizing your desire to attain unrealistic goals and ideal conditions

Simply don't await a personality adjustment overnight: Treatment for NPD can be a long, slow-going, uphill boxing—and only as with other personality disorders, patients may demand to exist more motivated than a typical therapy customer to make progress and resolve their issues.

While in handling, those with this personality blazon tend to be mistrusting and reluctant, exhibit negative reactions, and often driblet out early. Since the work deals primarily with personality traits, which are pretty steady over time, it could take many years of psychotherapy before a breakthrough happens (as they say, you tin can't teach an erstwhile canis familiaris new tricks).

The good news is, studies in intervention with those living with NPD have shown that some narcissists are in fact capable of learning and feeling empathy, which is the ultimate antidote.four

And while there are no psychotropic medications to care for the disorder specifically, keep in mind that the likelihood of a co-occurring psychiatric disorder forth with NPD is a possibility. If you are living with this condition and as well dealing with depression, anxiety, addiction problems or substance utilize disorder, bipolar disorder, eating disorder, or whatever other illness, you may exist prescribed medications that are helpful in treating these conditions.

FAQs

Q: Do narcissists take high or low self-esteem?

Narcissists have high cocky-esteem. The matter is, they lack a secure sense of self-esteem, having what researchers telephone call "fragile high self-esteem." This class of high self-esteem is extremely dependent on external validation and cocky-charade or having fantasies of success, power, and beauty.

Q: Can a narcissist autumn in love?

Yes, but their personality will make it very hard for a truly intimate relationship to come into full blossom, says Dr. Moody. Unfortunately, the other person in the human relationship may fifty-fifty not find the red flags until several months down the line, when they realize that their relationship should have naturally reached a deeper level.

Q: How do I deal with a narcissist in my life?

Setting potent boundaries is an important style to protect yourself in any type of human relationship with a narcissist. For coupled partners, participating in therapy to learn healthy ways to communicate, cope, and manage emotional distress can help. The good news is that the human relationship can get better if both people are willing to stick through treatment.

Q: What are the dissimilar types of narcissists?

There are 4 types of narcissists. The covert narcissist tends to be shy, cocky-effacing, hypersensitive to how others perceive them, and chronically envious. They often think their pain or suffering is worse than everyone else'due south—and may even believe they're the ugliest person in the room. The cognitive narcissist derives self-importance from their intellect, believing they're smarter than anybody else. The somatic narcissist tends to obsess over physical advent, including weight, and criticize others based on their advent. The spiritual narcissist uses religion or spirituality to intimidate or justify harmful behaviors to others. They might look down on anyone who is "unevolved," "unawakened," or "asleep" and claiming that they can't possibly empathise you lot because they're not at your level of consciousness or spiritual/religious maturity.

Helpful Resources for Egotistic Personality Disorder

In that location is no known manner to prevent the condition, but if you suspect that you might exist dealing with NPD, are in a relationship with a narcissist, or if a loved 1 is struggling with it, it'south important to get help as presently as possible.

  • Find a psychiatrist or psychologist who specializes in helping people with narcissism.
  • If you or a family member is dealing with narcissistic or psychological abuse, telephone call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
  • Read these tips on ending or leaving a relationship with a narcissist.
  • If you are physically threatened or abused, seek immediate help by calling 911.
  • Find more hotlines and organizations for support in our mental health resources directory.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder By The Numbers

0.5-v% – the estimated percentage of people with NPD in the US population-based on community samples.

50-75% – the percentage of people with NPD who are men.

xl% – the percentage of people with NPD who also have an feet disorder.

[Read This Next: What is Empathy and Why Nosotros Demand Information technology]

Article Sources

  1. Stinson FS et al. Prevalence, correlates, disability, and comorbidity of DSM-Iv narcissistic personality disorder: results from the moving ridge 2 national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. J Clin Psychiatry. 2008 Jul;69(seven):1033-45. Bachelor at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18557663. Accessed September 14, 2020.
  2. Stinson FS, Dawson DA, Goldstein RB, et al. Prevalence, correlates, disability, and comorbidity of DSM-IV narcissistic personality disorder: results from the wave 2 national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. J Clin Psychiatry. 2008;69(7):1033-1045. doi:10.4088/jcp.v69n0701 Accessed September 14, 2020
  3. Grijalva E, Newman D A, Tay Fifty, Donnellan Chiliad B, et al. (2015). Gender differences in narcissism: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 141(2), 261–310.
    Available at: https://doi.org/x.1037/a0038231 Accessed September fourteen, 2020/
  4. University of Surrey. Psychology enquiry quantum suggests narcissists are capable of empathy. July 21, 2016. Available at: https://www.surrey.air-conditioning.united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland/features/psychology-inquiry-breakthrough-suggests-narcissists-are-capable-empathy Accessed September xiv, 2020.

Sources

  • Pincus AL, Lukowitsky MR. Pathological narcissism and egotistic personality disorder. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2010;6:421-446. doi:10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.121208.131215. Accessed September 14, 2020.
  • Papageorgiou G, Gianniou FM, Wilson P et al. The vivid side of dark: Exploring the positive issue of narcissism on perceived stress through mental toughness. Personality and Individual Differences. Vol 139. March one, 2019. Bachelor at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886918305877?via%3Dihub Accessed September 14, 2019.
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    Last Updated: Oct 25, 2021

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