“In Ancient Greece, there was a man named Narcissus, who was so beautiful that he rejected all romantic interests. He was cursed to fall in love with himself by a scorned lover. Subsequently, he saw his reflection in a pool of water and fell in love with it. He died by the same pool because he lost interest in eating or sleeping and just gazed at his reflection. Some accounts say he killed himself because he could not attain his love “(himself)”.
Narcissism can be a personality trait or a personality disorder. Narcissistic personality disorder is a chronic form of self-involvement where the individual has a delusional sense of superiority and an idealized self-image. People with this personality disorder tend to lack empathy for other people, ignore their feelings, and have a need for admiration from others.
Knowing these 5 things about narcissistic personalities will help you understand them better:
Narcissistic traits often hide insecurities
A narcissistic personality may be hiding other less desirable traits of which the person is unaware of or is trying to suppress. This kind of personality can indicate a strong feeling of insecurity, poor self-confidence and self-esteem, and an inability to handle criticism. In many cases, a narcissistic personality is a cover to hide the fact that they are deeply insecure.
They are resistant to ideas of changing their behavior
Narcissistic personalities tend to shy away from the fact that their behaviour is a problem for others or they may not realize it. Accepting this information is at odds with their beliefs about themselves and so they will blame others instead for their own faults and mistakes. They are also very sensitive to disagreements, criticisms, or anyone speaking against them, their behaviour, or their ideas. On this note, it is unlikely that they will agree to seek professional help for their behaviour.
There are two subtypes of NPD
Although narcissistic personality disorder exists on a spectrum, medical professionals have identified two subtypes: the vulnerable subtype and the grandiose subtype.
The grandiose subtype: the key features of people with this type of NPD include aggression, domineering attitude, grandiosity, and exaggerated confidence. They are overly self-confident. Researchers have proposed that this subtype of NPD can be caused by a superior mindset developed during childhood. This can be because they were treated as superior to, or better than their peers during childhood. This mindset can persist until adulthood.
The vulnerable subtype: the major features of this subtype are defensiveness, hypersensitivity and a fear of not being accepted. Here, the individual uses their narcissistic personality as a shield against feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, and anxiety. They want other people to treat them like they are special and get offended when they don’t receive this treatment. They are very sensitive to criticism. This subtype of NPD has been linked to childhood abuse or neglect.
The cause of NPD is unclear
As with most personality disorders, researchers have been unable to pinpoint the exact cause of narcissistic personality disorder. Instead, a mix of environmental and genetic factors has been proposed as a potential cause.
Some of these factors include:
The symptoms of NPD can be worsened during stressful times.
NPD tends to be co-morbid
In simple terms, co-morbidity means that a mental health condition exists alongside another one. For example: depression and anxiety. In the case of narcissistic personality disorder, it tends to exist alongside other mental health conditions, such as depression, social anxiety, panic disorder, drug or alcohol misuse, generalized anxiety disorder, anorexia nervosa, and other personality disorders.
Conclusion
Narcissistic personality disorder exists on a spectrum and so it may be mild or severe. It is also possible for some people to be narcissistic but will not have a personality disorder.
