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

    In The News:


  • pen paper and inkwell


    cat break through


    Achieving an Ambidextrous Mindset

    History lends us an ideal of ambidexterity: Leonardo da Vinci,... Read More

    Biometrics

    ABSTRACTBiometric identification refers to identifying an individual based on his/her... Read More

    Synchronized Swimming Advantage for Twins

    The Olympic Contests for Synchronized Swimming are a testament to... Read More

    Precognition or Circadian Rhythm?

    The bodies natural clock or circadian rhythm seems to have... Read More

    Serial Killers

    Countess Erszebet Bathory was a breathtakingly beautiful, unusually well-educated woman,... Read More

    The Psychology of Torture

    There is one place in which one's privacy, intimacy, integrity... Read More

    The 5 Hindrances of the Mind: Are They Blocking Your Self-Esteem?

    The issue of self-esteem is perhaps one of the greatest... Read More

    Animal Cruelty: The Key to Serial Minds

    What makes a common person a Serial Killer? According to... Read More

    HypoManiacs Often Misunderstood

    Are you a Hypomaniac? If you are you have some... Read More

    Solution Focus Process: Solution Talk vs. Problem Talk Pt I

    Solution Talk vs. Problem TalkProblem talk, of course, is talk... Read More

    Hypnosis: A Brief History

    Evidence of hypnotic-like phenomena appears in many ancient cultures. The... Read More

    What is Narcissism?

    A pattern of traits and behaviours which signify infatuation and... Read More

    A Jungian Approach to Mental Illness

    All of us suffer from some form of emotional distress... Read More

    What are the 4 Brainwave Patterns and How Do They Effect Your Health

    WHAT ARE BRAINWAVES?Every moment of your life your brain is... Read More

    On Dis-ease

    We are all terminally ill. It is a matter of... Read More

    Is China Testing Bio Weapons on Its Own People?

    Well the conspiracy theorists are out in full force I... Read More

    A Look at The Brain

    The endless, immeasurable brain. It does seem like more we... Read More

    Creating A Winning Mindset

    Do you know anyone who always wins? Sure you know... Read More

    No Picnic In Sight

    Upon being diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, I saw the reality... Read More

    Intro to Being an ADHD Parent

    In my fifteen years of private practice working with children... Read More

    Traumas as Social Interactions

    ("He" in this text - to mean "He" or "She").We... Read More

    Artificial Intelligence - What Have We Learned Through Natural Ignorance?

    During the late '80s and early '90s, I had the... Read More

    Metaphors of the Mind (Part I)

    The brain (and, by implication, the Mind) has been compared... Read More

    Dredging the Truth

    To seek and find truth requires that we communicate within... Read More

    Metaphors of the Mind (Part II)

    Storytelling has been with us since the days of campfire... Read More

    Self Hypnosis or Shelf Hypnosis?

    Self hypnosis is usually thought of as a person listening... Read More

    Eating Disorders and the Narcissist

    Patients suffering from eating disorders binge on food and sometimes... Read More

    Parapsychology: Maximizing Effectivity Of Targeted Controlled Remote Viewing Techniques

    Individuals with a solid working knowledge of Controlled Remote Viewing... Read More

    The Special Secret of Intuition

    The limbic systemNerve impulses were known to relay feelings and... Read More

    The End of Psychotherapy

    In two articles entitled "We Are Not Our Personalities" and... Read More

    Right Brain, Left Brain

    The right brain controls the left side of the body... Read More

    Are Observations Objective?

    On the outset all observations may seem to be objective,... Read More

    Morality As A Mental State

    INTRODUCTIONMoral values, rules, principles, and judgements are often thought of... Read More