Narcissism: Psychological Theories and Therapeutic Interventions in T

Have you ever been around someone who seems arrogant? It may not be just arrogance, that individual may have a Narcissistic Personality Disorder or NPD. Narcissus, a Greek mythological character, fell in love with his reflection in the water and could never pull himself away, so he ended up dying right beside the water after a while (Marcovitz 1). Narcissism became known as being self-centered and was developed after this Greek myth (Marcovitz 1). This disorder affects less than 1% of the American population and it occurs more in men than women (Thomas 1). Later on in life most people with NPD will experience severe symptoms around the ages of forty or fifty years old (Psych 1). Many people who have this disorder either refuse to get help

Jean M. Twenge is a famous professor of psychology in San Diego State University. People know Twenge for her study of narcissism. Her infamous and debatable book Generation Me: Why Today’s Young American Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitle- and More Miserable than Ever Before, draws in a lot of attention from psychologists, researchers, as well as common people. Twenge can be seen as a leader for accusing the rise of narcissism in Generation Y. She conducted her study by collecting data from 25 years of personality surveys. She used the answers from the survey to conclude that Millennials are narcissists. With regard to personality surveys, psychologists use indirect and unclear statements to trick people and to expose the inflated ego (Greenberg). Undirected statements in the surveys have too many meanings. Its

Narcissism can be defined as “ a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of ultra confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that 's vulnerable to the slightest criticism” (Narcissistic personality disorder, n.d.). With this disorder people generally are unhappy and disappointed when they are not privileged to special favors or given admiration they believe they deserve. With narcissistic personality disorder problems in many areas of life can arise such as work, school, financial affairs, and relationships.

We all love ourselves. That seems to be such a true statement that we do not bother to look it as a possible disorder. A person who loves himself is one thing but one who loves his reflection is another. A healthy person will love himself and his accomplishments. That person is all around happy and satisfied with himself. On the other hand one who is in love with his reflection is cause for narcissism. One who depends on the existence of a reflection to produce the emotion of self-love. It also makes it impossible for the person to tell himself what is reality or what is fantasy. The narcissist does possess the desire to love and to be loved. If he cannot love himself, he has love his reflection. Narcissist are five (or more) of the

Twenge, J. M., Konrath, S., Foster, J. D., Campbell, W. K., & Bushman, B. J. (2008). Egos inflating over time: A crosstemporal meta-analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. Journal of Personality, 76, 875–902.

Narcissism occurs on a continuum, and everyone thinks narcissistically. The following are examples of some things that may be the result of narcissistic thinking, and can be either spoken or just thought. They may be generated consciously, or subconsciously. If consciously generated, the reason behind them can be found. If generated subconsciously, the reason will be illusive. Subconscious beliefs are responsible for producing the narcissitic idea, and the conscious mind agrees.

“Narcissism falls along the axis of what psychologists call personality disorders, one group that includes antisocial, dependent, histrionic, avoidant and borderline personalities. But by most measures, narcissism is one of the worst, if only because the narcissists themselves are so clueless” (Jeffery Kluger). Narcissists have high self-esteem both on the inside and the outside. They are more in love with themselves than anything else. Many people are so sure that they are narcissistic, but narcissism is more than high self-esteem and loving oneself more than anything; many people also fear having a personality disorder because of how mentally ill people were treated in the 1800s.

Being one of the rarer personality disorders and being a controversial diagnosis, Narcissistic Personality Disorder maintains its inclusion in the DSM-5. What makes Narcissistic Personality Disorder controversial is because many believe that clinicians focus on entitled interpersonal behaviors rather than the patient’s underlying, internal struggles. This makes the diagnosis less informative and more critiqued as a disorder. Narcissistic Personality Disorder lifetime prevalence is 6.2% and is more often seen in higher-functioning/private practices. A major advance in Narcissistic Personality Disorder is the recognition of its co-morbidity/vulnerability. In the DSM-5, it includes both dimensions and central traits, incorporates evaluations of

Narcissism: is a term that originated with Narcissus in Greek mythology who fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water. Currently it is used to describe the pursuit of gratification from vanity, or egotistic admiration of one's own physical or mental attributes, that derive from arrogant pride.

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a condition described by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy for others. Narcissistic personality disorder is recognized by severe disturbances of interpersonal relationships. People with Narcissistic Personality disorder may have five or more of the following, (a) a grandiose sense of self-importance; (b) preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love; (c) beliefs of being special and unique; (d) requirements of excessive admiration; (e) a sense of entitlement; (f) interpersonal exploitativeness; (g) lack of empathy; (h) envy of others; and (i)arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes (Andrew E. Skodol, 2014). People diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder have high rates of substance abuse and of mood and anxiety disorder. They may also high rates of physical and sexual aggression, impulsivity, homicidal thoughts, and suicidal behaviors (Pincus et al., 2009, Ronningtam, 2011).

Just as children go through their egocentric phase, those that have NPD according the article “Narcissism and Well-Being: A Longitudinal Perspective” by Zuckerman & O 'Loughlin, (2009) states how they become “locked into that stage and never grows out of it”. When a child is allowed to feel overly important, that child will more than likely maintain their infantile mentality of “power [and] control”, thus “hindering Narcissistic characteristics. These children learn to scan and seek out those who can fulfill their narcissistic supply” that demands attention, recognition, and fulfillment.

An important understanding is there are differences between self-esteem and narcissistic entitlement. Psychologist Lisa Firestone Ph.D. explains self-esteem is unlike narcissism where it exemplifies a disposition constructed on achievements mastered, beliefs one has adhered to, and concern for others. Narcissism contrarily is regularly established by an apprehension of failure or shortcomings, focusing on oneself, an ailing drive to be known as perfect, and a longstanding self-doubt as well as concealed emotions of inadequacy

Narcissistic personality disorder is one of the many types of personality disorders that affect mental health, in which people desire to be seen and admired more than the average person. Those with narcissistic personality disorder believe they are more relevant or significant than others in society. They believe that due to their superiority in society, they do not need to take into consideration the feelings of others. However, like most people who have an immense amount sense of self importance and self-confidence, they have very little self-esteem and are sensitive to any criticism, regardless of how big or small it is. All of this limits their ability build friendships and relationships within their personal lives and society.

Narcissists are observed to be having high self esteem though narcissism is not the same thing as self-esteem, this is seen in the attitude behind the self-esteem. Normal people with high self-esteem are seen

It is a well-known fact that narcissists are great story tellers, and more often than not they are the center of their tale. According to Sigmund Freud, we are all born with a natural healthy form of narcissism, the notion of self-love and self-care, and a balance between them and the notion of object-love. However, when that balance is broken, it can greatly affect the individual and those around him. In