Narcissism is a term often thrown around in popular culture to describe someone who is self-centered or selfish. People use the term to describe others who don’t meet their needs or agree with them, such as partners, exes, and politicians.
But true, diagnosable narcissism is more than the punchline of a joke or the accusation of a scorned lover.
The big book of mental health diagnoses, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), describes narcissism as a personality disorder that includes:
- A pervasive pattern of grandiosity
- Need for admiration
- Lack of empathy
These patterns begin by early adulthood and are present in a variety of contexts. Below are the nine traits that associated with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD):
- Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements).
- Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.
- Believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions).
- Requires excessive admiration.
- Has a sense of entitlement (i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations).
- Is interpersonally exploitative (i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends).
- Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others.
- Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her.
- Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes.
Narcissism is a spectrum disorder, which means it exists on a continuum ranging from a few narcissistic traits to the full-blown personality disorder.
Based on statistics noted by Medscape, it is estimated that 5% of the United States population (approximately 1 in 200 people) display traits of or is diagnosed with NPD.
If you were raised by someone who shows traits of narcissism or narcissistic personality disorder, you likely have experienced some amount of turmoil and chaos. This can affect adult children of narcissists in many ways, such as:
- Questioning yourself and your sanity
- Not feeling good enough
- Repeating patterns of choosing unhealthy situations and partners
If you’re a woman residing in Arizona and think you may be experiencing challenges from being raised by a narcissistic mother, I invite you to schedule a free 15-minute phone consult with me to see how I might help. Simply click on the BOOK FREE CONSULT button and let’s connect.
