With the word “narcissist” being searched on Google, our interest in narcissism is at an all-time high. steadily increased For the last 10 years. The term has become part of everyday vocabulary and is used for simplicity. celebritypoliticians and former partners.
A by-product of our growing interest in narcissism is a growing curiosity about what kinds of narcissists exist. But here comes the problem. If you search for “”,type of narcissistA Google search for ‘ will return a wide variety of results. Some websites describe it as: three kinds.Others are listed below 14.
what’s going on
What is a Narcissist?
The word “narcissism” comes from the Greek myth of Narcissus, a boy who fell in love with his own image.
Over the past century or so, the conceptualization of narcissism has evolved. It is now considered to be a set of personality traits characterized by grandiosity, entitlement, and ruthlessness. “Narcissist” is the term used to describe someone who scores highly on these traits.
A narcissist may also meet the following diagnostic criteria: narcissistic personality disorder, a mental health diagnosis that affects about 1% of people. It is widely described as a pervasive pattern of showing grandiosity, needing admiration, and lacking empathy.
Importantly, not all narcissists have Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
Read more: Think You Might Be Dating a “Vulnerable Narcissist”? Watch Out for These Red Flags
How many types of narcissism are there?
There are two main types, Traits of Narcissism (Unlike Narcissistic Personality Disorder). These are grandiose narcissism and vulnerable narcissism.
Grandiose narcissism is associated with grandiose self-awareness, aggression, and dominance. Vulnerable narcissism is characterized by heightened emotional hypersensitivity and defensive, anxious grandiosity that masks feelings of inadequacy.
recent model They identified three core elements of narcissism that help explain the similarities and differences between exaggerated and vulnerable narcissism.
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antagonism It is common to both grandiose and vulnerable narcissists. It is associated with traits such as arrogance, entitlement, exploitativeness, and lack of empathy.
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agent extroversion It is peculiar to megalomaniacal narcissism. It is associated with traits such as authority, grandiosity, and exhibitionism.
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narcissistic neurosis It is unique to vulnerable narcissists. It is associated with fragile self-esteem and a tendency to experience negative emotions and shame.
A high concentration of scores across each of these factors makes a person more likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
And while diagnostic criteria highlight the grandiose aspect of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, clinicians report: vibration between The exaggerated and vulnerable narcissism of people with this disorder.
For vulnerable narcissists, considerable duplication Borderline Personality Disorder, especially in terms of personality traits that appear to cause it. People with high scores for vulnerable narcissism alone are more likely to be diagnosed with: borderline personality disorder than narcissistic personality disorder.
READ MORE: Borderline Personality Disorder Is A Harmful Label For Real Suffering – When We Changed It
Are there other types of narcissists?
Given that there is consensus in psychology about the two main types of trait narcissism mentioned above (alongside the clinical diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder), there are many sources describing other “types” of narcissism. How can you explain
First and foremost is the proliferation of pop psychology articles describing types of narcissism for which there is not enough evidence.
They feature terms such as “cerebral narcissist,” “physical narcissist,” “seductive narcissist,” and “mental narcissist.” However, searching for these terms in the peer-reviewed academic literature yields no evidence that they are legitimate types of narcissism.
Some articles also use terms that can be considered synonymous with exaggerated and vulnerable narcissism. This probably comes from early literature that used different terms to describe types of narcissism. 1 review Since 2008, more than 50 different labels used to describe types of narcissism have been identified.
Conceptually, however, each of these labels can be mapped to either exaggerated narcissism or vulnerable narcissism.
Often the terms “overt” and “concealed” are found, sometimes in parallel with the overt and vulnerable narcissist descriptions. Some researchers argue that overt narcissism and covert narcissism are similar to overt and vulnerable narcissism.others they claim that More appropriately, it is considered an expression of narcissism that exists in both grandiose narcissism and vulnerable narcissism.
Finally, many of these articles describe narcissists in terms of concrete expressions of grandiosity and vulnerable narcissism. For example, they describe a “hostile narcissist” as follows:community narcissist“, “Agent Narcissist”, “sexual narcissist” Alongside the narcissist who is overbearing and vulnerable.
These descriptions imply that each of these are mutually exclusive types of narcissism, even though they should actually be thought of as aspects of exaggerated and/or vulnerable narcissism. In other words, these are examples of how narcissism can be expressed.
label danger
The multifaceted nature of narcissism may have played into the different terms people use to describe narcissists.
Some of these are valid constructs. When used accurately, it helps identify the different ways narcissism is expressed. Especially in intimate relationships, high levels of exaggerated and vulnerable narcissism are associated with perpetrating abuse.
But online articles that inaccurately describe and categorize narcissism are never helpful. This content inspires armchair psychologists to quickly label anyone they think exhibits narcissist traits as a “narcissist.”
Even when applied accurately in clinical settings, diagnostic labels are not always helpful.they may bring stigmamay discourage people from seeking mental health support.
Read more: Narcissism – and the different ways it can lead to domestic abusive relationships
