Our interest in the narcissism has never been higher, with Google searches for the word “narcissist” increasing steadily over the past decade. The term has become part of everyday language, readily used to describe celebrities, politicians, and ex-partners.
The growing interest in narcissism
A byproduct of our growing interest in narcissists is curiosity about what types of narcissists exist. But this is where things get complicated. A Google search for “types of narcissists” returns wildly varied results. Some websites describe only three types. Others list as many as 14.
The word “narcissism” comes from the Greek myth of Narcissus, a boy who falls in love with his own reflection. Over the last century or so, conceptualizations of narcissism have evolved. It is now thought of as a set of personality traits characterized by grandiosity, conceit, and callousness. “Narcissist” is the term used to describe someone who scores high on these traits.
A narcissist may also meet diagnostic criteria for narcissistic personality disorder, a mental health diagnosis that affects about 1% of people. It is widely described as a pervasive pattern of displaying grandiosity, needing admiration, and lacking empathy.
It is important to point out that not all narcissists suffer from narcissistic personality disorder. There are two main types of trait narcissists (which are distinct from narcissistic personality disorder). These are n. great and no. vulnerable.
The N. grandiose is associated with a grandiose sense of self, aggression and dominance. Vulnerable narcissism is characterized by high emotional sensitivity and a defensive, insecure grandiosity that masks feelings of inadequacy.
Recent models have identified three core components of narcissism that help explain the similarities and differences between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism.
Antagonism is common to both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. It is linked to traits such as arrogance, arrogance, exploitation, and lack of empathy. Agentic extraversion is unique to grandiose narcissism. It is associated with traits such as authoritativeness, grandiosity, and exhibitionism. Narcissistic neuroticism is specific to vulnerable narcissism. It is associated with fragile self-esteem and a tendency to experience negative emotions and shame.
A person is likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for narcissistic personality disorder when there is a convergence of high scores on each of these components. Furthermore, while the diagnostic criteria emphasize the grandiose aspects of narcissistic personality disorder, clinicians report an oscillation between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism in people with the disorder.
Vulnerable narcissism has considerable overlap with borderline personality disorder, particularly in terms of causes and manifested personality traits. A person who scores high only on vulnerable narcissism is more likely to receive a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder than narcissistic personality disorder.
Given the consensus in psychology on the two main types of narcissism described above (which sit alongside the clinical diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder), how can we explain the numerous sources describing other “types” of narcissism? The first and most worrying is the proliferation of pop psychology articles describing types of narcissism for which there is no hard evidence.
They throw around terms like “cerebral narcissist,” “somatic narcissist,” “seductive narcissist,” and “spiritual narcissist.” But a search for these terms in peer-reviewed academic literature provides no evidence that they are valid types of narcissism.
Some articles also use terms often considered synonymous with grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. This likely stems from the early literature, which used a variety of terms to describe types of narcissism. A 2008 review identified more than 50 different labels used to describe types of narcissism. Conceptually, however, each of these labels can be mapped onto grandiose or vulnerable narcissism.
You will often see “overt” and “covert” described, sometimes alongside descriptions of grandiose and vulnerable narcissists. Some researchers have proposed that overt and covert narcissism are akin to grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Others argue that they are more appropriately considered expressions of narcissism present in both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism.
Finally, some of these articles describe narcissists by drawing on specific expressions of grandiose or vulnerable narcissism. For example, they describe “antagonistic narcissists,” “communitarian narcissists,” “agentic narcissists,” and “sexual narcissists” alongside grandiose and vulnerable narcissists.
These descriptions imply that each of these types of narcissism are mutually exclusive, when in fact they should be considered aspects of grandiose and/or vulnerable narcissism. In other words, they are examples of how narcissism might be expressed. The multifaceted nature of narcissism has likely contributed to the array of terms people use to describe narcissists.
Some of these are valid constructs. When used accurately, they can be useful in identifying the different ways in which narcissism is expressed, particularly in intimate relationships, where high levels of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism are associated with the perpetration of abuse. Online articles that describe and categorize inaccurately narcissism are far from helpful. This content fuels armchair psychologists, who then are quick to assign the label “narcissist” to anyone they think displays narcissistic traits.
Even when carefully applied in clinical settings, diagnostic labels are not always useful. They can carry with them a stigma that can discourage people from seeking mental health support.
Vulnerable narcissists more susceptible to eating disorders
Vulnerable narcissists are more likely to develop eating disorders, according to a study by the Australian National University (ANU).
The lead author, Danushika Sivanathan, a Ph.D. A scholar at the Research School of Psychology, he says that the development of vulnerable narcissism, a narcissistic subtype, is linked to the way you were raised.
“Narcissism has two subtypes: grandiose narcissism and vulnerable narcissism,” Ms. Sivanathan said.
“My research has found that if you are a vulnerable narcissist, you are more likely to suffer from an eating disorder.”
Miss Sivanathan says “everyone” has traits on the spectrum of a vulnerable narcissist, but constant parental invalidation can lead to the development of this martyr-like personality condition.
“Parental invalidation, which has also been shown to be linked to eating disorders, can shape you into a vulnerable narcissist,” Ms. Sivanathan said.
“This is not abuse or neglect. It’s the type of parenting where a child’s inner feelings and thoughts are constantly downplayed.
“For example, when a child says to a parent, ‘I’m really sad,’ and the response is, ‘Just get over it.’”
The online study, published in Eating and Weight Disorders, focused on women aged 18 to 30, as eating disorders are more common among women.
The study found that people who display characteristics of vulnerable, rather than grandiose, narcissism have a higher risk factor for developing eating disorder symptoms, such as binge eating, vomiting behavior, and excessive worry about body shape and shape. weight.
“People with this personality type are more susceptible to eating disorders because they focus so heavily on receiving validation from others to maintain a positive sense of self.
“However, at the same time they are not very good in situations with others, which makes them unable to receive this validation.
“This means that they are unable to maintain a positive sense of self and also experience negative feelings, which they manage through some symptoms of the eating disorder.”
The doctoral scholar states that grandiose narcissism has familiar traits such as entitlement, grandiose imagination and charisma.
“These people are manipulative, domineering, vindictive and lack empathy,” Miss Sivanathan said.
“But vulnerable narcissists are easy to ignore. Despite some common traits, such as an unrealistic sense of superiority, their narcissism is internal. They are avoidant in interpersonal relationships and do not have the same charisma: “Vulnerable narcissists need to be externally validated, but are ashamed of it.”
While research shows that parental invalidation underlies the development of vulnerable narcissism, eating disorder symptoms can also occur without narcissistic traits: “You can have an eating disorder without being a vulnerable narcissist, and that might be a little easier to treat,” Ms. Sivanathan said.
“Eating disorders are complicated, difficult to treat, and poorly understood. Personality disorders are also very difficult to treat. This research highlights vulnerable narcissism as another risk factor that psychologists can consider and hopefully help inform treatment options.”
A smart way to detect narcissism
A team of psychologists from the University of Helsinki, in collaboration with a colleague from Millsaps College, have discovered, through experimentation, a new and intelligent way to detect narcissism in a person. In their study, reported in the journal Psychophysiology the team measured physical responses to certain stimuli in people identified as having a narcissistic personality.
People with a narcissistic personality view the world as an extension of themselves and, because of this, consider the needs of others to be less important. Narcissists, it has been noted, tend to be stubborn and envious and behave in ways that suggest they feel entitled to whatever they want. Psychologists have also found that such traits can make a person uncomfortable and that others tend to respond negatively to such behavior.
They also noted that narcissistic traits can be problematic for relationships, and for this reason, suggested that non-narcissists learn to identify people with such a personality before becoming heavily involved with them. Of course, it is not always easy to identify narcissism in another person, especially at the first meeting. In this new effort, researchers have found a subtle clue that could help in such situations.
Researchers recruited 57 people who had previously been identified as having a narcissistic personality. Each was asked to perform a series of demanding cognitive tasks. Then the researchers attached sensors to parts of the subjects’ faces. Afterwards, the volunteers were asked to listen to a critique of their performance. Some received praise, others a neutral report, and a third group received negative feedback. All of the volunteers were then asked what they thought of the tasks they had completed and the feedback they had received.
The researchers found that volunteers who had received a negative review unconsciously showed hidden reactions of the facial muscles, small movements of the forehead and the muscles used to smile. But they lasted only a fraction of a second. In poker, such a reaction would be known as a “tell.” For people who are thinking about starting a relationship with someone, it could be considered a warning signal. In both cases, the observer has to look carefully, or they won’t notice.
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