Narcissistic personality disorder falls under Cluster B of the personality disorders in DSM 5 and consists of a pattern of grandiosity, self-love, admiration, and lack of empathy.
A person with NPD will find it difficult to take another person’s perspective and will like things directed in one’s own way as one cannot move beyond their self-interest and space of their own thinking.
There are 2 types of NPD:
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Grandiose Narcissism: This includes a feeling of self-importance, superiority, arrogance, opportunistic, assertive, and conceited.
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Vulnerable Narcissism: This includes a feeling of defensiveness and hypersensitivity.
Symptoms:
The following symptoms will determine whether or not a person has developed an NPD :
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Feeling egoistical, individualistic, and conceited
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Requiring constant assurance and praise by exaggerating their achievements and success.
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Longing to be liked by others and if that doesn’t happen they feel that other people are envious of their abilities.
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High in Self-interest, self-absorption, self-love, and self-seeking behavior.
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Expects exculpation as regards oneself as condescending and supercilious.
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Bossy, intolerant, dictate for their needs.
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Intolerant and sensitive to criticism
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Obsessed, fascinated, and engrossed in their procurement and accomplishment.
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Exploiting others for one’s own need
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Lacks empathy and cannot think beyond one’s perspective
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Behaves in an aggressive, arrogant and hostile manner.
Causes:
The cause of the NPD can be attributed to the following factors:
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Genetic factors: There is a genetic predisposition towards NPD and is reflected in traits such as intolerance for stress, self-observation, and lack of empathy.
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Parenting style: Overprotective parents make the child extremely sensitive to criticism and making one believe as heshe is extraordinary. Neglectful parenting makes the child develop a feeling of being rejected and unloved which results in dysregulation and fragile ego development.
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Socio-cultural factors: Developmental experiences such as childhood trauma, rejection, and abuse can make a person become aggressive, preoccupied with one’s own life, and interpersonally exploitative.
Importance of professional help:
The treatment for NPD starts with psychotherapy that is a one-to-one session with a professional which explains how the thoughts patterns of the client can be altered as thoughts lead to a belief system and belief about oneself furthers gets reflected in one’s actions.
Like in CBT, the focus is to replace irrational thoughts with rational ones. It will enable one to understand the unhealthy way of dealing with life experiences and their interaction with others. The healthier mechanisms will enable to :
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Adjust and adapt oneself with other people and the environment
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Maintain cordial and healthy relationships
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Tolerance to change and criticism
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Make realistic goals for oneself as it will help to reduce one’s insecurity issues leading to better self-esteem.
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Develop a sense of responsibility towards others emotions
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Respecting and being tolerant for perspective-taking.
With the guidance and the support of the professional person, change in how one views oneself and others will take place. It will be difficult to see the difference initially but will constant motivation by reminding the goals one has set for oneself will enable one to reach the goals by improving the life experiences.
Importance of Professional Counseling: A friend or family member may listen to you, but they aren’t professionally, technically qualified or experienced to offer you professional advice. If you wish you can contact us at MindTribe to receive help from our team of expert psychologists.
About MindTribe.in.
MindTribe Founder Dr. Prerna Kohli, India’s eminent psychologist, established the company to leverage the strength of the online to make counseling affordable and accessible to everyone. MindTribe provides counseling, workshops, support groups, forums, and eLearning.
About the Author.
Disha Begani is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about her by clicking here
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.
Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.