What can I learn from narcissistic personality disorder?

These are the lessons we can learn from narcissistic personality disorder.

Is it possible to achieve improvement in emotional well-being by looking at the narcissist's behavior? Is there anything I should learn about pathological narcissism to improve in my own life?

In this article we will see what are the main characteristics of this psychological disorder and what lessons we can learn from it.

What is narcissistic personality disorder?

The individuals with narcissistic personality disorder are characterized by having a clear feeling of grandiosity, the characteristic of believing themselves to be superior to othersas well as presenting a need for admiration and attention from others, along with a lack of empathy.

These traits may therefore be present in "normal" subjects, but not everyone with narcissistic features will present this disorder. It will be necessary to take into account the presence or absence of functional disturbances, discomfort, inflexibility and behavioral stability.

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic Manual of the Association of American Psychologists (DSM 5) classifies personality disorders into 4 groups. Narcissistic personality disorder (narcissistic PD) is found within cluster B, together with borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder. This cluster is characterized by emotional, dramatic and unstable traits.

Specifically, narcissistic PD occurs in individuals with feeling of grandiosity in both image and behavior, need for admiration and lack of empathy..

On the other hand, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10) belonging to the WHO does not classify narcissistic TP among the specific personality disorders but within other specific personality disorders.

Diagnostic criteria for narcissistic disorder

Narcissistic TP appears for the first time classified within the DSM-III, although the term narcissistic had already been used previously within the psychoanalytic current.

DSM 5 describes it as a dominant pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration and lack of empathy, which, like the other personality disorders, begins in the first stages of adult life and presents in different contexts. adult life and presenting in different contexts and affecting moderately or severely the functionality of the individual's personality. A defining characteristic of personality disorders is the inflexibility and stability over time of their personality, presenting few variations.

To be diagnosed with narcissistic PD, five or more of the following diagnostic criteria must be met: Shows feelings of grandeur and arrogance; is absorbed by fantasies of success, power, brilliance...; believes he/she is "special" and unique and can only relate to people who are also special; excessively needs to be admired; presents a feeling of privilege, believes he/she has to be treated favorably and automatically fulfill his/her expectations; is exploitative, takes advantage of others; lacks empathy; envies others and believes they envy him/her; is arrogant.

The feeling and belief of grandiosity, of being the best, of being special, can lead to frustration and disappointment in the long run, as these people do not see these characteristics reaffirmed.. This can generate a depressive mood, a hypomanic mood or even a major depressive disorder.

In addition, in narcissistic disorder, relationships with others are altered, since people who develop this disorder do not show interest in others, they only want them to reaffirm their grandiosity and increase their self-esteem, presenting an exploitative behavior, taking advantage of others to fulfill their own purposes. In the same way, in the labor scope also they can have alterations since to avoid a possible frustration they avoid situations of comparison or competition.

Epidemiology and course of the disorder

Epidemiology refers to the prevalence, percentage of individuals presenting the disorder in society. In reference to narcissistic disorder, the DSM 5 points to a prevalence between 0 to 6.2% of the population.The prevalence is higher in men than in women, with a percentage of between 50 and 75% of cases.

As noted above, narcissistic traits can also occur in the normal population, being a typical feature in adolescents. In particular, we will see that PTs present more difficulty in adapting, showing from the beginning physical and occupational limitations linked to aging..

In the classification of the severity of personality disorders, narcissistic PD is among those of mild severity, together with histrionic personality disorder, antisocial and dependent personality disorder.

Alternative model of DSM 5

DSM 5 has presented in section III a new diagnostic classification of personality disorders, giving more importance to the functionality of the individual in daily life and introducing a more dimensional measure, classifying personality scores on a continuum of moderate or greater maladjustment.

In the specific case of narcissistic TP, this presents maladaptive traits in the antagonistic domain, related to the feeling of self-importance, expectation of special treatment, and cruel antipathy, among others.among others. To meet diagnostic criteria, he/she must present pathological traits of grandiosity and attention seeking, wanting to be the center of attention and to be admired.

Its relationship with the 5 personality factors

Different authors have attempted to associate or relate personality disorders with typical personality traits or factors present in the general population. In relation to narcissistic PD, people who develop it are more likely to present low agreeableness, medium-high responsibility and low self-reported neuroticism; this means that they report being low in anxiety.This means that they report being low-anxious.

What can we learn from narcissistic personality disorder?

Now that we have seen in broad strokes what narcissistic personality disorder is, it is time to ask whether it is possible to learn from it key ideas that help maintain a good level of emotional well-being. Let's look at several key ideas in this regard.

1. Self-esteem problems are not only due to a lack of self-esteem.

As we see, having a problem related to self-esteem does not always imply believing oneself to be less than what one really is.. Sometimes, an over-inflated self-esteem can have the paradoxical effect of being easily "punctured", quickly giving rise to many insecurities; and in other cases, it can expose the person to situations that are too risky or dangerous.

2. Self-esteem is a psychosocial phenomenon.

On the other hand, narcissistic personality disorder also shows that self-esteem is not a "private" psychological element and restricted to what goes on inside the person's brain. It is constituted by many social dynamics, which constantly influence and shape it.

3. Self-concept can easily lead to biased perceptions.

Another lesson we can draw from narcissistic personality disorder is that misalignments in the concept of "I", or self-concept, can lead to significant alterations in our behavior and in all aspects of our lives.. Being wrong about other concepts need not be reflected in our actions on a constant basis, but the idea of "I" is at the core of almost everything we do and say.