Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Walking down the street, a girl pauses to take a selfie. A boy posts on social media that he gains five pounds in muscle. Every little league teammate receives a trophy for participation. America’s culture seems to encourage egotistical behavior beginning at a young age; however, when these behaviors are continued into adulthood, they are considered narcissists. It is common to hear people labelling others that exhibit a little self-esteem as narcissistic. The frequent use of the term narcissism takes away from the true meaning of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). In order to re-establish the actual meaning of narcissism, this paper will review the diagnostic criteria, major characteristics, etiology, and treatment implications. Ultimately, the reader will develop a clear understanding of NPD and will end with the proper knowledge in order to educate others.
Diagnostic Criteria
Prior to the release of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013), there was controversy about removing NPD as a diagnosis (Nelson, 2013). Alterations were made to the criteria for many of the disorders; however, NPD remained unchanged and was kept in the DSM-5. In order for a person to receive a diagnosis of NPD, they must meet the criteria listed in the DSM-5. The DSM-5 describes NPD as the following:
A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
1. Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognize...
... middle of paper ...
...ogical Assessment, doi:10.1037/a0036613
Nelson, C. (2013). Narcissistic personality disorder: Not even a diagnosis in 2013!. Journal of Psychohistory, 40, 293-305. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.library3. webster.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=346baa13-4fac-4209-9335 fd5347
04e1d7%40sessionmgr112&vid=8&hid=123
Skodol, A. E., Bender, D. S., & Morey, L. C. (2013). Narcissistic personality disorder in dsm-5. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, doi:10.1037/per0000023
Washburn, J. J., & Paskar, L. D. (2011). Moving beyond parents in the etiology of narcissistic traits. In C. T. Barry, P. K. Kerig, K. K. Stellwagen, & T. D. Barry (Eds.), Narcissism and machiavellianism in youth: Implications for the development of adaptive and maladaptive behavior (pp. 145-157). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/12352-008
“Narcissistic Personality Disorder.” Cleveland Clinic. The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. N.P., 20 May 2005. Web. 19 May 2010.
Healthy narcissism is a mature, balanced love of oneself coupled with a stable sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Healthy narcissism implies knowledge of one's boundaries and a proportionate and realistic appraisal of one's achievements and traits.10 This implies that a leader, like Stephen Harper for example may be is more likely a narcissist rather than psychopath. He knows his limits, and does not try and overachieve something that is not within reach, keeping a realistic view of the world but still seeing himself on top. Psychopaths rarely seek Narcissistic Supply. Pathological narcissism is wrongly described as too much healthy narcissism (or too much self-esteem).11 Yet, we often find that narcissists abandon their efforts in mid-stream,
The "Narcissistic Personality Disorder." Mayo Clinic. Ed.
According to the Mayo Clinic, narcissistic personality disorder “is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others.” Generally people that suffer from narcissistic personality disorder
When looking at the United States Presidents, we picture the president to embody great leadership skill, who could show strong communication skill, and be in a position to display power. When people elected the president, there are certain quality traits and skill that the president need to display. Some people will view the president as grandiose narcissism, while others may have a different perspective of the president. People who are narcissist, believe their selves to become more important than others. Narcissist people are also overconfident of their decision making, and have difficulty at learning from their mistake (Watts, Lilienfeld, Smith, Miller, Campbell, Waldman, Rubenzer, & Faschingbauer, 2013). There are different types of characteristics of narcissism: vulnerable and grandiose. Vulnerable narcissistic people, who are become anxious when they are not regarded as royalty. People who are vulnerable narcissism shows coming back and forward between feelings superiority and inferiority (Rohmann, Neumann, Herner, & Bierhoff, 2012). While grandiose narcissistic people are types to be viewed as leaders, however narcissistic people are overconfidence and put their needs before others.
A Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a mental disorder in which people elaborate sense of their own importance ("Narcissistic Personality Disorder"). They have a deep need for admiration and have a lack of empathy for others. They also believe they are superior to others and have little feelings but are really
Firstly, what is exactly narcissism? The word ‘narcissism’ was derived from an ancient Greek myth of Narcissus. Narcissus was depicted as a handsome young man who adored his looks very much. Many young maidens fell in love with him but he criticizes them for being too ugly for him. One day, he fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. However, he accidentally drowned himself as he tried to touch his reflection. Hence, the word ‘narcissism’ is usually depicted as a personality that reflects excessive of self-love on oneself. Individuals who are narcissistic are usually described as somebody who is selfish, snobbish or proud. This is because narcissistic individual processes information obtained differently than others. They believe that they deserve more than others since they think they are more superior in every aspect. Due to their sense of grandiosity, they will do anything in order t...
Today, our culture demands us to be perfect, thin, powerful, successful, smart, extraordinary, but when people begin to try achieving them, we start labeling them as narcissists. The problem is that it is impossible for anyone to please everyone. Brown defines narcissism as simply a “fear of never feeling extraordinary enough to be noticed, to be lovable, to belong, or to cultivate a sense of purpose” (22). Before giving out labels, it is wise to practice asking ourselves questions to clear the intentions and reasons of someone’s behavior. For example, teenagers posting pictures of themselves online to gain some attention reveals that the culture has taught them that they are as lovable as the number of likes and comments they get on social media. Negative feedback roots into negative thinking about vulnerability and causes them to shut themselves down and never show their real selves again. Encouraging others to believe that they are perfect as themselves, will plant a positive attitude in them and push them to pursue their goals and visions to fulfill their dream of a happy
For some individuals, the need for admiration and self-importance exceeds the norms, this is where narcissism comes into play. Narcissism is a personality disorder that many people in countries worldwide suffer from. Someone who suffers from this personality disorder holds abnormal behaviors that shows a need for appreciation and usually lack empathy for others. They are considered to be extremely selfish and revolves around self-centeredness. What happens when a narcissistic individual becomes a parent? There are many different ways parents raise their children; the common parenting techniques used are determined as authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive. The different parenting styles also
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a mental disorder that is considered to be an impairment in personality functioning, the presence of pathological traits, lack of empathy for others and a need for admiration. This type of personality disorder has some related disorders such as antisocial behaviors, interpersonal exploitation and envy. According to Luo, Cai, & Song (2014), “Narcissism refers to a kind of abundant self-love, characterized by a series of characteristic including self-desire for admiration, fantasies of superiority, hypersensitivity to criticism, exploitation of people, and lack of empathy for others” (p. 1). There have been ongoing discussions on how this type of behavior is processed in the brain. It is not clearly known
In Jean Twenge’s novel titled, “Generation Me”, she describes “Generation Me” as a group of self-obsessed, overconfident, assertive, miserable individuals. “Gen-Me” cares about what other people think so much they 'll go to great lengths to “impress” their peers. Self-obsession can be viewed as a sickness of the mind. The average person may be oblivious to the fact that 1 out of 6 people are narcissists. “Narcissism falls along the axis of what psychologists call personality disorders, one of a group that includes antisocial, dependent, histrionic, avoidant and borderline personalities. But by most measures, narcissism is one of the worst, if only because the narcissists themselves are so clueless.” - Jefferey Kluger
Skodol, A. E., Bender, D. S., & Morey, L. C. (2013). Narcissistic Personality Disorder in DSM-5. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, And Treatment.
Anyone who is perceived as great needs ambition to some extent. The desire to achieve something more with your life
Krents begins his essay by pointing out to the reader that he cannot see himself, and thus, often has to depend upon the viewpoints of others. He states: "To date it has not been narcissistic." The average reader may not be aware that the word "narcissistic" means, "Excessively in love with oneself." It is helpful for the reader to keep this first observation in mind as he continues through the article, and hears Krent’s descriptions of society’s viewpoints.
Robbins & Judge (2009) describe narcissism as an individual “who has a grandiose sense of self-importance, requires excessive admiration, has a sense of entitlement, and is arrogant.” Poet Tony Hoagland brought up a valid observation in the textbook about the American culture