Psychology


Psychology Home Page | Faith411.com Home Page

Vital information and articles related to Psychology.


Narcissistic Personality Disorder - Who is a Malignant Narcissist?


QUESTION Number 1 - Who is a Narcissist?

Dear Dr. Vaknin,

I read the excerpts you placed on your web site with great interest.

I wanted to ask:

Isn't your definition of malignant narcissism too wide? Having read it, I think that it fits my neighbours, friends, and family to a "t". Everyone seems to be a narcissist to me now!

HELP!

ANSWER

Yours is an understandable reaction. All of us have narcissistic TRAITS. Some of us even develop a narcissistic PERSONALITY. Moreover, narcissism is a SPECTRUM of behaviours - from the healthy to the utterly pathological (known as the Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or NPD).

But the "malignant" narcissist consistently manifests at least 5 of these 9 criteria.

The DSM IV uses this language:

"An all-pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behaviour), need for admiration or adulation and lack of empathy, usually beginning by early adulthood and present in various contexts."

So, what matters is that these characteristics, often found in healthy people, appear:

  • Jointly and not separately or intermittently

  • They are all-pervasive (invade, penetrate, and mould every aspect, nook, and cranny of the personality)

  • That grandiose fantasies are abundantly discernible

  • That grandiose (often ridiculous) behaviours are present

  • That there is an over-riding need for admiration and adulation ("narcissistic supply")

  • That the person lacks empathy (regards other people as two dimensional cartoon figures and abstractions, unable to "stand in their shoes")

  • That all these phenomena began, at the latest, in early adolescence

  • That the narcissistic behaviours pervade all the social and emotional interactions of the narcissist.

    Here are the 9 criteria. Having 5 of these 9 "qualifies" you as a narcissist...

  • Feels grandiose and self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents to the point of lying, demands to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

  • Is obsessed with fantasies of unlimited success, fame, fearsome power or omnipotence, unequalled brilliance (the cerebral narcissist), bodily beauty or sexual performance (the somatic narcissist), or ideal, everlasting, all-conquering love or passion

  • Firmly convinced that he or she is unique and, being special, can only be understood by, should only be treated by, or associate with, other special or unique, or high-status people (or institutions)

  • Requires excessive admiration, adulation, attention and affirmation - or, failing that, wishes to be feared and to be notorious (narcissistic supply).

  • Feels entitled. Expects unreasonable or special and favourable priority treatment. Demands automatic and full compliance with his or her expectations

  • Is "interpersonally exploitative", i.e., uses others to achieve his or her own ends

  • Devoid of empathy. Is unable or unwilling to identify with or acknowledge the feelings and needs of others

  • Constantly envious of others or believes that they feel the same about him or her

  • Arrogant, haughty behaviours or attitudes coupled with rage when frustrated, contradicted, or confronted.

    The language in the criteria above is based on or summarized from:

    American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition (DSM IV). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

    Sam Vaknin. (1999, 2001). Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited, second, revised printing Prague and Skopje: Narcissus Publication. ("Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited" http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/faq1.html)

    About The Author

    Sam Vaknin is the author of "Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited" and the editor of mental health categories in The Open Directory, Suite101, and searcheurope.com.

    His web site: http://samvak.tripod.com

    Frequently asked questions regarding narcissism: http://samvak.tripod.com/faq1.html

    Narcissistic Personality Disorder on Suite101: http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/npd


    MORE RESOURCES:

    CIO Weblog

    Psychology of the internal hacker
    CIO Weblog, CA - 13 hours ago
    New developments are emerging this morning in the case of the IT engineer who allegedly shanghaied San Francisco's high speed fiber network by installing ...


    The Gazette (Montreal)

    Magic tricks aid research project
    BBC News, UK - 10 hours ago
    The team say attempts to link magic and human cognition have been largely ignored by modern psychology. Researchers say their findings have potential ...
    Age-old Magic Tricks Can Provide Clues For Modern Science Science Daily (press release)
    Magic tricks 'window to human mind' The Press Association
    Magic tricks 'make people doubt their own eyes' Telegraph.co.uk
    NewsLite - FOXNews
    all 47 news articles


    Learn All About Body Language With This Compelling Book -- New ...
    MarketWatch - 2 hours ago
    His professional publications include Trial Psychology, The Psychology of Jury Selection, The Technology and Psychology of Modern Litigation, ...


    interCLICK Launches New Sales Offices in Chicago and San Francisco
    FOXBusiness - 8 hours ago
    He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Westfield State College and a Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Hofstra ...


    The psychology of a customer
    Nigerian Tribune, Nigeria - 5 hours ago
    By Jude Ndu - updated: Thursday 24-07-2008 Quality is when our customers come back and our products don’t. Siemens quality motto Everyone agrees that poor ...


    Tepper School of Business Welcomes New Faculty Members for 2008th2009
    Media Newswire (press release), NY - 12 hours ago
    Her work is forthcoming in such publications as the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and was included in The Social Psychology of Contrast and ...
    Recent area college graduates Albany Times Union
    all 2 news articles


    McKendree professor available to help American Olympians
    Granite City Press Record, IL - 9 hours ago
    By Aaron Sudholt One of its professors, Tami Eggleston, is on the US Olympic Committee's Sport Psychology Registry, making her available as one of 300 ...


    Graduate gets insider view of sorrow, survival in hospital
    Malden Observer, MA - 2 hours ago
    Diana shadowed patient advocate Cheryl Voigt and Madeline Spinozza, a psychology nurse, overseeing minor surgical procedures and helping make patients and ...


    Love Story: Sometimes, nice guys don't finish last
    Long Beach Press-Telegram, CA - 5 hours ago
    In fact, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Family Psychology, women seeking happily-ever-after should opt for Mr. Average instead of ...


    Asylum! Conference and Festival
    MODKRAFT.dk, Denmark - 10 hours ago
    It will showcase critical work on psychiatry and psychology (’Big Psy’) and the pharmaceutical industry (’Big Pharma’), and alternatives to diagnostic ...

    Psychology - Google News



  • Philosophy Articles Home Page | Philosophy Articles Site Map | Psychology Sites | News | Faith411.com Home Page
    EZmatic.com | IgoJo | UpBee | Blue Ryder | Health | ZippyGo | Ken J Wagner

    Faith411.com - all Vital information and articles related to Philosophy.

    © 2006