Are you a narcissist?
Narcissism falls on a spectrum ranging from narcissistic personality traits to a clinical diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder. The fundamental attributes that center around the individual diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder, according to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual 5th Edition (DSM-5), includes devaluing and manipulating other people, a grandiose sense of self and importance, believes they are “special” and more important than other people, takes advantage of people, lacks empathy and remorse, as well as exhibits a sense of arrogance (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Based on the research there are six different types of narcissism, which includes the overt narcissist, covert narcissist, antagonistic narcissist, communal narcissist, malignant narcissist, and the seductive narcissist.
The overt narcissist is someone who fits the description of the “classic narcissist”, someone who has an inflated ego, very high self-esteem believing they can do no wrong and have the highest trust in themselves and their abilities, expect recognition from even the simplest of tasks, preoccupied with fantasies of success, appear to be overly confident, as well as devalue others to feel a sense of admiration (Brookes, 2015). For the overt narcissist other people don’t matter to them unless people are there to induce feelings of superiority. Individuals like Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory have an inflated ego that leads them to influence their interpersonal relationships in a negative way, where others can feel put down and inferior.
The covert narcissist - resides in opposition from the overt narcissist – is someone who internalizes a form of self-hatred, feel as though they do not live up to their expectations, are introverted and highly self-critical, as well as constantly seeking validation and approval from others in order to feel a sense of accomplishment (Brookes, 2015). Individuals who fall in line with the covert narcissist are people who are vulnerable to criticism, and desperately need to please other people in order to feel they are important or able to make “correct” decisions (Brookes, 2015). People like Eliot Reid from Scrubs experience covert narcissism, where the world in her mind centers around whether she is performing adequately - based on someone’s external evaluation of her abilities – or she is internalizing a self-attack suggesting she is not a good enough doctor.
For the antagonistic narcissist the focus for them is to win, win every argument, and to always be “right”. The antagonistic narcissist is someone who is a highly competitive person, who will sabotage others to get ahead, intentionally offend and annoy people, intentionally disagreeable, and has a tendency to take advantage of people (Kwiatkowska et al., 2019). Dr. Gregory House from House is an example of an antagonistic narcissist, where the need to be right and to be superior is vital to his self-worth. Individuals who’s personality structure is more in line with the antagonistic narcissist will be highly competitive and continue to compare themselves to others. If their fragile ego is at risk for harm, then the antagonistic narcissist will attempt to treat their distress by taking advantage of others.
The communal narcissist falls in opposition with the antagonistic narcissist, but does fall under the same category as the overt narcissist. The communal narcissist may appear to be altruistic and genuinely selfless, but that image is only to satisfy the public eye (Kwiatkowska et al., 2019). Fundamentally the communal narcissist is fixated on public image and how they are perceived and received by their audience (Kwiatkowska et al., 2019). The communal narcissist would describe their self as giving, empathetic, and generous (Kwiatkowska et al., 2019). However, their empathy or generosity is used as a means to an end, for their own selfish gain to be recognized in the public eye (Kwiatkowska et al., 2019). For instance, individuals who film themselves giving food and/or money to people who are homeless may be doing this as a means to post their “good deed” on social media, and seek recognition for their good deed, rather than simply helping out a person in need.
The malignant narcissist is an individual who is vindictive, manipulative, antisocial, someone who enjoys breaking the rules, challenging authority figures, and exhibits sadistic tendencies (Goldner-Vukov & Moore, 2010). For the malignant narcissist other people don’t matter, and there are no feelings of remorse or empathy (Goldner-Vukov & Moore, 2010). Wednesday Addams is an example of someone who is a malignant narcissist, someone who only focuses on her needs to solve the case and it doesn’t matter who is in her way. The behaviour of the malignant narcissist is to safeguard themselves from the extreme worry of a threat and the desperate need to obtain power.
Lastly, the seductive narcissist uses their sexual appeal, flirtatious behaviour, and charm to take advantage of other people in order to satisfy their own person needs (Stiffell & Holtom, 2016). For example, the seductive narcissist will compliment you, shower you will praise and admiration only for a means to an end. The compliments and praise is not genuine but a show to trick people into feeling this false sense of liking in order to the seductive narcissist to achieve their own goals. The seductive narcissist, like all the other narcissistic types, feel a sense of dissatisfaction with their life and thus require external validation, admiration, or power, as a means to treat their inner turmoil.
Even though people can reside at different parts of the narcissistic spectrum, it is also the case that people can subject themselves to a healthy form of narcissism. For example, confidence is a healthy narcissistic trait, which allows people to have trust in themselves, trust in their abilities that they can problem solve, and ultimately reach their goals without hindering other people. Self-esteem is also another component of healthy narcissism. The way in which we speak to ourselves, think about ourselves, and perceive ourselves can drastically affect the way we feel about ourselves. Finally, intrinsic value is another component of healthy narcissism. Knowing that you have value. Not because of what you can do or how you look, but because you are you.
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References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5 (Vol. 5, No. 5). Washington, DC: American psychiatric association.
Brookes, J. (2015). The effect of overt and covert narcissism on self-esteem and self-efficacy beyond self-esteem. Personality and Individual Differences, 85, 172-175.
Goldner-Vukov, M., & Moore, L. J. (2010). Malignant narcissism: from fairy tales to harsh reality. Psychiatria Danubina, 22(3), 392-405.
Kwiatkowska, M. M., Jułkowski, T., Rogoza, R., Żemojtel-Piotrowska, M., & Fatfouta, R. (2019). Narcissism and trust: Differential impact of agentic, antagonistic, and communal narcissism. Personality and Individual Differences, 137, 139-143.
Stiffell, G., & Holtom, R. (2016). Beware the Song of the Sirens: Reflections on the Seductive Face of Narcissism. British Journal of Psychotherapy, 32(1), 37-52.
