Narcissism’s name came from mythology. According to Roman poet Ovid’s book Metamorphoses, Narcissus was a young and beautiful man who attracted the admiration of many, but he rejected all romantic relations, including nymph Echo. As punishment, Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, caused him to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. This myth illustrates self-love, vanity, and self-focus and creates a psychological term that all of us are familiar with: narcissism.
Types Of Narcissisms
Grandiose narcissism is the more prominent form because many of the symptoms highlighted in the DSM-5 handbook for Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) resemble grandiose narcissism’s characteristics (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Miller et al., 2017). Grandiose narcissism is characterized by assertiveness, dominance, entitlement and a strong desire for admiration. People high in grandiose narcissism are more likely to be bold, excessively confident, and superior to others around them. They tend to take higher risks and try to make themselves visible among people. They are positively associated with self-reported confidence (Campbell & Foster, 2007). Individuals high in grandiose narcissism also believe they are perfect, and when they face a problem that threatens their self-image, they may exhibit aggressive behavior towards others (Bushman & Baumeister, 1998).
The second important type is vulnerable narcissism. It is associated with lower levels of self-esteem, higher neuroticism and hypersensitivity (Pincus & Lukowitsky, 2010). Differently from grandiose narcissists, individuals demonstrate vulnerable narcissism, display a defensive, withdrawn personality against social life and show sensitivity against comments that people make for them. Unlike grandiose narcissists, vulnerable narcissists do not exaggerate their abilities; instead, they fluctuate between self-criticism and resentment toward others (Miller et al., 2011).
As A Disorder: What Is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
Beyond the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) definition of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), it is placed in Cluster B Personality Disorder like Antisocial Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder and Histrionic Personality Disorder. An important question: what are the symptoms of NPD?
-
Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements).
-
Is preoccupied withfantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.
-
Believes thathe or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high status people (or institutions).
-
Requires excessive admiration.
-
Has a sense of entitlement (i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations).
-
Is interpersonally exploitative (i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends).
-
Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others.
-
Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her.
-
Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes. (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)
At least five out of nine criteria are required for diagnosis (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Usually, individuals diagnosed with NPD do not seek therapy, as they may perceive it as a threat to their self-image. They often present themselves as cooperative in therapy settings due to their need for approval and admiration (Ronningstam, 2005).
Furthermore: A Life With Narcissism
Experts debate two types of parenting styles that may contribute to NPD. The first is overly demanding parenting. With this parenting style, children feel chronically inadequate, potentially leading to perfectionism and narcissistic tendencies (Otway & Vignoles, 2006).
The second is overly neglectful parenting styles; children may develop narcissistic attitudes while trying to protect their self-esteem (Brummelman et al., 2015). Also, individuals diagnosed with NPD, in his/her relationships with others, will be one-sided. Narcissist person expects from their relations for compliment and fulfillment. When their close relations do not give what they want, they will disappear even if they are close to each other. They want to take every time, not give something. When their inflated balloon of narcissism bursts, they will feel depressed or anxious (Morf & Rhodewalt, 2001).
Movie Recommendation
The Wolf of Wall Street: Jordan Belfort reflects core traits of grandiose narcissism such as dominance, risk-taking, and a constant need for admiration.
American Psycho: Patrick Bateman represents extreme narcissism through obsession with status, appearance, and lack of empathy.
Black Swan: Nina represents vulnerable narcissism with her fragile self-esteem and perfectionism.
Nightcrawler: Lou Bloom demonstrates narcissistic traits through manipulation and lack of empathy for personal success.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
Brummelman, E., Thomaes, S., Nelemans, S. A., Orobio de Castro, B., Overbeek, G., & Bushman, B. J. (2015). Origins of narcissism in children. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(12), 3659–3662. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1420870112
Bushman, B. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (1998). Threatened egotism, narcissism, self-esteem, and aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(1), 219–229. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.75.1.219
Campbell, W. K., & Foster, C. A. (2007). The narcissistic self. In C. Sedikides & S. Spencer (Eds.), The self (pp. 115–138). Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032816-045244
Miller, J. D., Hoffman, B. J., Gaughan, E. T., Gentile, B., Maples, J., & Campbell, W. K. (2011). Grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Journal of Personality, 79(5), 1013–1042.
Morf, C. C., & Rhodewalt, F. (2001). Unraveling the paradoxes of narcissism. Psychological Inquiry, 12(4), 177–196.
Otway, L. J., & Vignoles, V. L. (2006). Narcissism and childhood memories. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32(1), 104–116.https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167205279907
Pincus, A. L., & Lukowitsky, M. R. (2010). Pathological narcissism. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 6, 421–446.https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.121208.131215
Ronningstam, E. (2005). Identifying and understanding the narcissistic personality. Oxford University Press.