10 Characteristics of Narcissism Personality Disorder

Have you been accused of being self-obsessed and not paying attention or caring about others or of being insensitive? Well, you might just be suffering from Narcissism Personality Disorder. A disorder because of which a person has an enhanced image of himself. Such people are at times very annoying and being with them is really uninteresting. Here are some of the characteristic traits shown by Narcissists.

10) Good first impressions-

good first impression

A study shows that narcissists are impulsive people and this helps them to gain favourable impressions and charm people by their spontaneity. They are often well groomed and have an air of authority over everyone. This helps them to put on a great show in front of strangers. They are basically performers and remain that way their whole life. Just like when you go to watch a show for the first time, it may seem out of ordinary but for the second time…Well it’s just ordinary now. Same is the case with narcissists.

9) Hell hath no fury as a ‘narcissist’ insulted-

Hell hath no fury like a narcissistic insulted

What drives a Narcissist is the notion that he/she is greater than anybody and hence all inferior beings should stay at their place which is lower than him/her. When this notion is challenged, the narcissist will often react aggressively even if the matter is not very serious. This is because they see any dispute as a questioning of their status. This aggressive behaviour is the cause of a feeling of threat to their ego and as we all know, what will a narcissist be left with, without his/her ego. It’s almost like a sudden reality check that they receive and do not want to process.

8) All smoke, no fire-

all smoke no fire

A narcissist is just a husk of a person. They are empty from the inside. There is no real personality behind their flawless appearance and sweet talking and very rarely true intellect. Hence even though they manage to make friends easily, they are hardly ever able to continue their friendships; because continuing a friendship would mean that they would have to care for another person and that is a difficult task for a narcissist.  Most people often distance themselves from a narcissist after a while as they realise that there is no further scope for their friendship to grow.

7) You will never find them on their own-

you will never find them on their own

The narcissist always comes with an entourage. They are extremely vulnerable people and need those around them to constantly elevate them by admiration. Besides being alone will mean that they will have to do some soul searching and that is the biggest nightmare for a narcissist as that will make them come in contact with their own reality and the possibility that their true self isn’t what they think it is. This idea is absolutely terrifying to them, hence they surround themselves with people who are almost like puppets and who will ask “how high?” every time the narcissist tells them to jump.

6) Love Actually?-

love actually

Narcissism is defined as seeking admiration, expect special favours, having a grandiose self-concept, a sense of superiority and entitlement, self-admiration, attention seeking, egocentric, emotionally volatile, lack of empathy, sexually promiscuous, inflated self-worth etc. It’s easy for them to have sexual partners but very difficult to have relationships. It’s because of the fact that they can’t love anybody more than they love themselves. It’s very normal for the narcissist to go about life having numerous partners but they rarely have any meaningful relationship.

5) Lack of empathy-

lack of empathy

As study reveals that a person shows narcissistic qualities because he/she is unable to empathise with other people’s feelings and understand their situation. It’s almost like they are incapable of it. Hence they do not think that anyone else is going to as much as they are that makes them superior. They never can put themselves in someone else’s shoes and hence are incapable of understanding the situation and assessing it fairly. This lack of empathy greatly affects their judgment.

4) Look at me-

look at me

Narcissists crave attention. Appearances mean everything to them. They are always impeccably dressed, their closet always up-to-date with the latest trends. They are the kind of people who don’t mind starving themselves to death just to fit into a dress which is already two sizes small. When not given enough attention, a narcissist will sulk like a child (in order to get noticed). Most of the actors and performers come in this category. They are not necessarily bad people, just self-absorbed and childish. It’s hard for them to process the fact that life is not a dream. They feel that they are luckier than others and hence nothing bad is going to ever happen to them.

3) I am the best-

i am the best

A recent study concluded that “Narcissism correlated with over-claiming knowledge and self-enhancement”. A Narcissist shows tendencies of being the best at all times. In their head, there is nothing that can beat them down and that they are superior enough to surpass any hurdle only by applying themselves to the task. This often leads to a falsified image of oneself. Anyone telling a narcissist that he/she is not capable of doing anything is asking for a scene because a narcissist will create one. Often if they are unable to accomplish a task, a Narcissist will claim that he/she did not try very hard.

2) Sound of my own voice-

sound of my own voice

The whole basis of Narcissism is a feeling of being superior and such a person has a self- enhanced image of himself in his/her mind. Hence they are used to the idea that everyone is keen to know about their opinion even if that is not the case. A narcissist will always have the last word to say no matter how stupid it is, in their head it’s better than what Einstein could ever think. Therefore they are used to talking a lot and of course implying their decisions on others.  Shy is not a word associated with a narcissist.

1) Mirror-mirror, on the wall-

mirror mirror on the wall

The term narcissism takes its name from the legend of Narcissus- a man who fell in love with his own reflection in the water. He couldn’t stop admiring himself and in the end died because of it. He had fallen in love with his own reflection and couldn’t tear away from it. Hence this is the most prominent trait displayed by a person suffering from narcissistic personality disorder. One who is obsessed with his/her looks. The notion that true beauty lies inside is absolutely alien to them. Vanity becomes them. So if you find a person who constantly looks in the mirror at every instance he/she gets, is definitely a narcissist. I am sure The Evil Queen in Snow-white was one and we all know how that ended!

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