What Narcissistic Personality Disorder

According to the article Modernity and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (2014) by Joel Paris, narcissistic personality disorder is a pathological amplification of narcissistic traits. This means that unlike a normal person, the traits in a narcissistic person that defines their personality are usually increased from a 1 to a 10. They are always the “self-absorbed” guy in the crowd.

As a basic rule of thumb of common sense, patients with symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder tend to have shorter life expectancy as compared to normal people. From a logical point of view, this is very true, as the narcissistic mental condition does only harm to the body and mental process. Seriously speaking, there is no added benefit to suffer from such mental disability. From the research and medical point of view, it is indeed proven that patients with this disability do end up with shorter life expectancy. Why is this so?

The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual describes personality disorders as being a pattern of enduring behavior and internal experiences that tends to digress a significant amount from the individual’s cultural and societal standards (Sadock, Kaplan & Sadock, 2015). This personality disorder is diagnosed in the presence of grandiosity and the need to be admired and appreciated. There is a chronic lack of empathy as well as inflated self-esteem and the belief that one is entitled to the adoration of others. Narcissistic Personality Disorder is classified under Cluster B, showcasing more erratic and emotional behavior which can be seen in the film American Psycho.

What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder? Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a mental disorder where someone has an exaggerated sense of their own presence, a need for constant admiration from others and they also have a lack of empathy for anyone (Mayo Clinic). A couple questions I have include: How does social media effect society? How does social media have an effect on someone diagnosed with NPD, What are ways you can help someone with NPD, and what are some ways we can conclude that someone may have NPD on social networking sites? Social media is what’s hot right now and someone diagnosed with NPD will only get wrapped up in its web and will be negatively impacted by it. The main focus of my research to further my knowledge includes: The risk factors social media have on someone diagnosed with NPD, signs on social media of someone who may have NPD, and so on.

Believing that you are superior and can only be understood by or associate with equally special people

Narcissism is defined as the love of ones self. Sigmund Freud was the first to use the word to characterize certain character traits. He got the word from the Greek mythological legend Narcissus who saw his reflection in water and fell in love with himself. Freud suggests that all of us have a bit of self love, but when self love goes extreme it can be a problem and is considered a pathological problem. Nora from “The Doll House,” only exuded narcissistic behavior because she was treated like a doll. She was spoiled and only thought that that was how she was supposed to behave in order to get what she wanted or to please the men in her

The obsession of interacting with higher authority figures displays a complete disregard for fellow coworkers, as though they do not deserve his attention. These illusions are a part of a narcissistic personality disorder. Luis (n.d.) displays many symptoms but a clinician may require an evaluation that seeks five symptoms or more before diagnosing Luis with narcissistic personality disorder (APA, 1994). The lack of patience for others (n.d.) is a sign of a lack of empathy, another indicator of the disorder (para. 5). Coworkers describe Luis as taking advantage of others for his own success. All of these descriptions are clear indicators that Luis suffers from a narcissistic personality disorder; he does not have a compassionate nature, he profiles himself as upper management, he associates with others only to benefit himself, he displays an arrogant attitude by boasting achievements and the purchase of material items, and he expects everyone to treat him as though he is a part of upper management.

In “Paul’s Case”, by Willa Cather, Paul is a very well written character from 1905. He is a narcissistic man written before there was even a diagnosis for that while still remaining isolated at home and elsewhere, and in the end kills himself to avoid short term consequences but realizes too late that what he is doing has long term repercussions. Paul hits eight of the nine criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder listed in the DSM-IV, where five of nine is considered having the disorder. The eight he hits are “1. Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements).

He is the person most insensitive to his true needs. The narcissist will have a pattern of (grandiosity), the need for admiration, and lack empathy, that will be present in early adulthood.

Key factors of this diagnosis include the definition of a personality disorder: a persistent pattern of maladaptive behavior that causes dysfunction in relationships or at work. NPD is also very common is serial killers. Other characteristics of this diagnosis include: requiring constant admiration, having an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others, and also behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner.

Pathological narcissism: It is the state of having high levels of narcissism such as narcissistic personality disorder; the person's libido has been withdrawn from the objects in the world and produces megalomania.

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.

It is hard and uncommon for someone to be diagnosed with NPD because when someone has narcissistic personality disorder, they may not want to think that anything could be wrong, doing so wouldn't fit with their self-image of power and perfection (American Psychiatric Association; 2013). Some psychologists say narcissism can be diagnosed by asking one question: “are you a Narcissist?” This is because some believe that if a person is narcissistic, then they will have no problem saying so because they are unable to see any flaws in themselves. People who are willing to admit that they are narcissistic are actually more narcissistic then others. Treatment of narcissistic personality disorder typically involves long-term psychotherapy with a therapist

Despite their actions, they will not feel a sense of empathy towards the people they hurt because narcissistic individuals think the victims deserved it for stopping them from achieving their goals. Surprisingly, narcissistic individuals are always felt threatened by other people from their surroundings. Due to that, they are likely to respond to any perceived threats in an exaggerated way (Narcissism, 2008). Hence, narcissism is not exactly a trait you would probably found great in an individual.

Since humans have roamed the planet, they have longed to leave a lasting impact on the world. Subsequently, they have become increasingly individualistic and self-absorbed as a direct result of their most innate desire. Actually, that would be the narcissists defense of their actions; someone who simply took a desire to spread good too far. A narcissist is unable to clearly analyze themselves or their actions. Furthermore, a narcissist will go to great lengths to convince themselves that their viewpoint is correct, and feel threatened by anyone who holds a different viewpoint (Myers 629). Narcissism is a highly complex personality disorder, and is difficult for one to fully understand until they have become a living victim of the daily life of a narcissist. In 2011, my father suddenly vanished one morning, leaving nothing but a note on the table addressed to my mother. The note explained that he was