Narcissism in the Workplace
Have you ever had the pleasure of working with an individual who was completely full of themselves? This person loved to be the center of attention and the topic of every subject, had extravagant dreams and considered themselves to be a person of many talents. This same person believed that they were a better leader than you would ever be and had no problem telling you that. He or she thought that the best way to gain the admiration of others and receive confirmation of their authority was by “talking down” to those who threaten them. The qualities that I mentioned are all common traits of a narcissist. Narcissist tend to think that they are better leaders than what they actually are according to their peers and coworkers. Proverbs 29:2 says "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn" (King James Bible Online, 2015).
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
When there came time for a big project, I noticed that he was always the one to be congratulated and rewarded by the management team for the work that the members of his team actually did. He really believed that he had done all of the work and only he should be credited for it, just because he was the team lead and senior member of the team. I did not understood why he was so self-absorbed and exploitive of others. I thoroughly enjoyed my job and came in to work with a smile and the motivation to be successful and help the team in any way that I could. However, the leadership that I had at my job did not focus on the “big picture” of motivating and inspiring employees and
Upon hearing the word “narcissist”, many people may come to mind--from the original Narcissus to celebrities, it is easy to characterize someone as narcissistic. However, the name Chris McCandless is extremely unlikely to be the primary response to this question. A determined and intelligent young adult, McCandless died in the Alaskan wilderness at just 24. A review of Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer mentions the unclear portrayal of McCandless being either an idealist or a narcissist. Yet, due to McCandless’ ambition and motivation, along with his ability to live life on his own terms, McCandless should be regarded a noble idealist rather than a reckless narcissist.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder Arrogance; an insulting way of thinking or behaving that comes from believing that you are better, smarter, or more important than other people. Arrogance is an attitude that can describe any individual with overbearing pride. However, American Psychiatric Association notes that people who are also narcissistic are frequently described as cocky, self-centered, manipulative, and demanding. According to Paul J. Hannig, Ph.D, Narcissistic Personality Disorder is “a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy” (Ashmun). By examining the relationships, behaviors, and internal conflicts within, Willa Cather’s Paul’s Case, Paul’s “case” can be diagnosed as Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
Supervisors such as these promote themselves through visible short-range demonstrations of accomplishments, but are unconcerned with staff development or morale (Reed, 2004, p. 67). Toxic leaders affect the atmosphere of an agency by creating a demotivational environment while attendin...
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
“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,
In 1979, there was a lack of an appropriate instrument for measuring narcissism. (Emmons, 1984)
The symptoms are numerous in nature and most of us may have experiences with these types of personalities without quite understanding what may have been the driving forces behind the behaviors. Some of the most common symptoms are; believing one is better than others, exaggerating achievements, needing constant praise, taking advantage of others or being envious of others’ achievements if they are perceived to be better than his achievements. Individuals with this personality disorder come across as conceited, boastful or pretentious. They often monopolize conversations and belittle or look down on other people perceived as inferior. They may seem to have a sense of entitlement and when they do not receive the special treatment to which they feel entitled to, they may become very impatient or angry. According to Lipowska & Lipowski (2015), “The need for admiration reflects the need of being noted, admired, complemented, and an element of entitlement” (p. 6). Also, they may insist on having the best of everything and justify this by claiming they are taking care of themselves first, regardless of the needs of others around
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...
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
According to Fiedler a leader’s leadership style is a constant variable while the leader’s effectiveness changes with the situation as the situation changes. Based on Fielder’s contingency model Clark was a task-motivated leader. He was primarily motivated by the success and accomplishment of the assignments and undertakings of the organization. When he delegated assignments to his employees he expected his orders to be completed exactly as he requested without any deviation. As a task motivated leader, Clark tended to be extremely harsh in judgment when his employees failed on any part of a task or assignment. In addition Nahavandi (2015) indicates that task motivated leaders are also highly punitive which Clark demonstrated as well. Furthermore, Clark always made it very clear what his position was and the role he played in the organization. In his opinion his role and position as an administrator was to control and direct the organization anyway he deemed
Narcissism is synonymous with self-admiration, self-absorption, conceit. One can speculate what makes a person feel so entitled to so much attention and admiration. According to mayoclinic.org, It 's not known what causes narcissistic personality disorder. As with other mental disorders, the cause is likely complex. The cause may be linked to a dysfunctional childhood, such as excessive pampering, extremely high expectations or abuse. Narcissism can start early on in adolescence. Once a child reaches adulthood with narcissistic traits, they walk around like they are they’re the one that holds society together. An example of one person many would portray as a textbook narcissist, Kanye West. Kanye West is obviously a well known rap artist who maintains a personality that is synonymous with cocky and self-obsessed. West feels entitled to world-wide fame and recognition. West went on a radio show hosted by ‘Sway’ of ‘Shade 45’ and proceeded to make wild, compassionate claims about his creative genius; “I am standing up and I 'm telling you. I. Am. Warhol. I am the number one most impactful artist of our generation, in the flesh. I am Shakespeare, Walt Disney. Nike. Google. Now who 's gonna be the Medici Family and stand up and let me create more?” As the reader can tell, West is very passionate and thinks very, very highly of himself. This is a prime example of
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a mental disorder classified in the Diagnostic And Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as one of the major personality disorders. Narcissistic Personality Disorder, as defined by the DSM-V, is the “pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy” that typically begins by early adulthood (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Those individuals who suffer with narcissistic personality disorder often have an inflated sense of self-importance while also displaying other characteristics. Individuals who exhibit five or more of the following traits are often diagnosed with the personality disorder: “(a) a grandiose sense of self-importance; (b) preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love; (c) beliefs of being special and unique; (d) requirements of excessive admiration; (e) a sense of entitlement; (f) interpersonal exploitativeness; (g) lack of empathy; (h) envy of others; and (i) arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes” (Skodel, Bender, & Morey, 2013). Those who display these traits often display them in socially stressful ways that affect their relationships with others and interferes with their professional and personal lives.
Narcissistic personality disorder is condition where an affected person has a superiority complex, or elevated feeling of self worth. These people do not experience much empathy for others, and often suffer problems in social situations such as work, or relationships. In contrast to the grandiosity they may present, under the surface these individuals have very a fragile self confidence and are easily hurt by criticism.
When I was working in the hospital, I had a supervisor who did not quite understand what it took to be a leader. It felt as if she was part of the team rather than the leader of the team. She would gossip with her subordinates about other employees. There had been a time when I heard her call one of her employees an idiot when he was in the next room. She would also play favorites with the workers who would gossip with her. This created a division among her workers.