Narcissism Is A Psychological Disorder. It’s Time To Take It Seriously.
We all have fallen prey to some sort of narcissism at least once in our lives. Perhaps we are too naive to identify it around us, but it is surely present. Narcissism is now seen as a “cool concept,” especially.
among teens. The problem is that they don’t realise that this horrible sensation could develop into a parasite called NPD, which will only lead to pricky relationships.
In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about narcissistic personality disorder.
By the end of your reading; you will be able to recognize:
● Who is a Narcissist?
● What are narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder?
● The nine narcissistic traits that you need to know
● How to identify oneself in a narcissistic relationship
● Difference between covert narcissistic and malignant narcissistic
● narcissistic abuse and its mechanisms
What is narcissism?
People with narcissistic behaviour are overaggressive and hungry for attention. In contrast, malignant narcissists push the envelope. And they don’t give a damn about the feelings and views of those around them, nor do they care about their needs. Gradually this feeling of over aggressiveness can become negatively overwhelming and might develop into a narcissistic personality disorder.
There’s no scientifically termed narcissist definition. When someone has narcissistic behavior,
they are obsessed with their impossibly perfect self-image and facets and seek pleasure through
self-indulgence or ego-driven appreciation. In Greek mythology, a young man named Narcissus
was obsessed with his sight reflected in a watery pool, and that is where the name of the egoistic
feeling was coined.
Narcissism is a psychological concept having a broader meaning than just having a feeling of
ego and self-centeredness as narcissistic behavior. To understand the exact narcissist meaning,
we will have to know the nine Narcissistic traits mentioned later in this article.
So How do we precisely define narcissistic persons?
To determine if someone is narcissistic, most people make it more difficult than it has to be. In the absence of physical blood tests, MRIs, or precise measurements, narcissism is impossible to diagnose. Even psychotherapists are limited to what they can observe in terms of a person’s behaviour and views. Narcissists are characterised by their sense of superiority and lack of absolute empathy in all cases. This is not the same as self-assurance alone. He also doesn’t want to feel an inch of compassion towards others, no matter how to grieve the situation.
‘It happens to me from time to time that I’m too sensitive and don’t take into account other people’s opinions. Is it possible that I have a narcissistic personality disorder?’
You see.
When people mistakenly believe that narcissism and NPD are the same, things can get complicated. A little selfishness or egoism is normal in everyone’s life, but as long as that doesn’t frequently affect your relationships, you don’t have to worry about Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
Self-centeredness and arrogance are hallmarks of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). Those diagnosed with NPD are often described as egotistical, snobbish, self-centred, condescending, and demanding by others. In every aspect of a narcissist’s life, from work and friendships to family, this manner of thinking and behaving is present and noticeable; it’s like the only way of living for them.
Understanding Narcissistic traits
According to psychological research, nine signs of a narcissistic personality can be used to identify narcissists. However, if most of them are present, we recommend that you get tested.
● Grandiosity
Those who have Narcissistic Personality Disorder have a grandiose sense of
self-importance and a tendency to exaggerate their achievements.
● Excessive need for admiration
Narcissists believe they should be the centre of attention at all times, and they often dominate conversations. Under narcissistic behaviour they would usually create violent nuisances if they did not get enough admiration.
● Superficial and exploitative relationships
Narcissistic Personality Disorder patients value people only to the extent that they see them as beneficial.
● Lack of empathy
Their ability to care about the emotional needs or experiences of others even loved ones, is severely limited or non-existent.
● Identity disturbance
Often, they have a very superficial and rigid sense of self, and their self-stability is dependent on maintaining the belief that they are exceptional, which makes them fragile.
● Difficulty with attachment and dependency
Their relationships are only maintained to keep a strong self-image through superficial interactions with no Intimacy.
● Chronic feelings of emptiness and boredom
It’s no secret that patients who aren’t given enough attention and praise feel drained and bored or restless.
● Vulnerability to life transitions
has trouble maintaining realistic personal and professional goals over the long term.
● It is also known that narcissistic personality disorder is a risk factor for suicide and attempted suicide
Covert narcissistic and malignant narcissistic
Narcissism has only one official diagnosis, but there are many different types of narcissistic personalities, and the severity of narcissism varies from mild to severe.
The type of narcissistic behavior in psychology can be classified as either overt or covert. Other people are able to see your overt behaviour because it’s so obvious. For the most part, however, covert behaviours are much more subtle and less apparent to others. The covert narcissist is someone who craves admiration and importance but lacks empathy for others.
Some people find it difficult to imagine how a narcissist could be inhibited in their approach and behaviour when observing narcissistic behaviour. They may not be outwardly self-effacing or withdrawing, but their goals are the same regardless of how they present themselves. Craig Malkin, PhD, a researcher and author, believes that the term “covert” is misrepresentative. Covert narcissists are often thought to be secretive or less important than overt (extroverted) narcissists, according to his research. He says overt and Covert narcissists share the same qualities. Malignant narcissists are by far the most destructive of the narcissistic varieties, and they are always Covert narcissists as their actions are always identifiable. Here, you’ll find egocentricity and other NPD features, but also some violent qualities and even an evil inclination, along with a bad sense of self and no empathy. Malignant narcissism is often accompanied by paranoia too! Malignant narcissists under narcissistic behavior care about winning at all expenses, and they tend to leave behind a lot of suffering and anger. They don’t empath with others and find joy in their hardships.
Spotting narcissists in your life
The signs of narcissistic personality disorder make it easier to identify and eliminate narcissists in your life. narcissists are often found:
● Infuriating with others a lot
● Thinking and talking about themselves a lot, every time
● Wanting to be noticed and admired by everyone
● Believe that they’re exceptional
● Always have a chaotic narcissistic relationship that is difficult to maintain
● Always Putting themselves first
● Think they know the “right” way to do things
● Will do no matter what it takes to win
● Do not consider other people’s feelings that steer the narcissistic relationship
DIAGNOSIS
Some narcissistic traits and narcissistic behavior can be detected by mental health professionals such as psychologists or psychiatrists. Your psychotherapist will ask you questions and have a conversation with you after observing signs of a narcissist. Ongoing patterns of thought, emotion, and behaving will be examined to detect signs of a narcissist. Any other
mental health conditions will be identified and ruled out by your psychotherapist.
How can I find out whether or not I have narcissistic behavior?
Your psychotherapist may give you personality tests to determine whether or not you have narcissistic traits. The tests are straightforward questions that you must honestly answer. It will provide your psychotherapist with more insight into your thoughts, feelings, and narcissistic
behavior. A few of them are as follows:
1. Millon clinical multiaxial inventory III (MCMI-III)
2. Personality diagnostic questionnaire-4 (PDQ-4)
3. International personality disorder examination (IPDE)
TREATMENT
Relax, Narcissism is a mental illness that can be treated.
NPD is primarily treated with long-term counselling with an authorised Psychologist. It provides more insight into narcissists’ problems and narcissistic behaviour and teaches them how to fix them.
By helping narcissists to:
1. Maintain a positive, rewarding relationship with others and controlling narcissistic behaviour
2. Develop a positive self-image by understanding Narcissistic traits
3. Have a more realistic view of what others are capable of by overlooking narcissistic abuse
Mental health professionals often prescribe anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs to their patients. Depressive disorders are treated with antidepressant medications to control narcissistic behavior. Doctors commonly prescribe serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in this regard to
narcissists. Along with antidepressants, a mood-stabilizing drug, such as lithium may be prescribed to lessen mood swings in narcissists. Risperidone is one type of antipsychotic drug, while aripiprazole is another that is used in Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
An urgent issue- Narcissistic abuse
Patients with Narcissistic Personality Disorder don’t really constructively love themselves. The truth is that they’re motivated by the despair, which leads to their narcissistic behavior that often causes narcissistic relationships.
They admire their idealised self-image and genuinely think it is the best version of themselves.
And yet, they are mindful that there is a divide between their public persona and inner self. Narcissistic abuse results in a narcissistic relationship. Narcissists use abusive coping mechanisms, which is where “narcissistic abuse” has originated from. However, someone can
be offensive without being a narcissist, and vice versa. Abusive behaviour is abusive behaviour, regardless of the abuser’s illness, and the one suffering in a narcissistic relationship should stand against Narcissistic abuse.
Narcissistic abuse involves various kinds of abuse agents. Manipulation, the process of persuading someone to act in a way that advances the aims of the manipulator and is often a great inhabitant in narcissistic behavior. Often, it’s a covert narcissistic form of aggression from Narcissists.
A “wolf in sheep’s clothing” comes to mind when you think about it. Underneath, the comments sound innocent — even lovely — but they leave a bad taste in their heart, making them resentful feeling more dangerous.
Other forms of hostile weapons Narcissists could use are emotional blackmail and gaslighting. If you’re a victim of emotional blackmail in Narcissistic abuse, you may be subjected to intimidation, threats, or even punishment.
As a result of gaslighting, one is made to doubt their perceptions of reality or believe that they are mentally incompetent in some way. Unhealthy competition, negative comparison constantly, and revenge seeking behaviour is also involved in malignant narcissism.
narcissism is not the same thing as NPD. In other words, narcissistic personality disorder is a
treatable mental illness, and narcissism is an inherent part of it. It involves an absolute lack of empathy, living in a fantasy world by being a protagonist, and constantly feeling superior to others. Narcissistic people use destructive defence mechanisms to obtain fanatical claims, destroying bonds and inflicting pain on others and causing narcissistic abuse.
