Narcissists, by definition, are people with a sense of grandiosity, coupled with a severe need for admiration and lack of empathy. According to Cory Newman, PhD, psychologist, narcissistic tendencies are a mixture of genetics and upbringing.
About 1-6 percent of people may have narcissistic personality disorder and of these, 50-75 percent are men. If you are dealing with a narcissist, say at work, then try to avoid them without being obvious.
Establish clear boundaries so they don’t end up taking advantage of you, and let them have the last word. Narcissists can easily manipulate people, it is therefore better to stay clear of them.
According to the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5, narcissists display the following characteristics:
Table of Contents
1-Exaggerated self-grandeur:
Narcissists think very highly of themselves. They believe that they are superior to others, and have a high sense of ‘entitlement’. They tend to exaggerate their achievements, believing themselves to be extraordinary.
2-Narcissists lack empathy:
Narcissists’ utter disregard for people and lack of empathy makes it difficult to be around them. They are skilled at reading people and using them for their own gain, instead of being considerate of their needs or emotions.
They are impervious to people’s emotions and can end up saying something extremely insensitive. On the other hand, they can go on length about their own woes and worries, and expect people to genuinely listen and care.
3-They are exploitative:
As mentioned before, narcissists are adept at reading people and using them for their own benefit. This trait of being ‘interpersonally exploitative’ is one of the hallmarks of narcissism. Moreover, this trait makes it difficult for sensitive people to be around narcissists. Not only would they expect you to consistently go overboard for them, but they would shy away from returning the favor.
4-Narcissists believe that others are jealous of them:
According to a study in The Journal of Personality, narcissists do not feel jealous of others—because they genuinely believe themselves to be better than others. In their own fantasy, they are the greatest and thus they don’t need to compare themselves with anyone else. However, they firmly believe that other people are jealous of them and their success.
5-Narcissists have a huge sense of entitlement:
They believe that people should cater to their needs. Their sense of entitlement is so strong that they don’t even believe rules apply to them. They can easily bend rules and show blatant disrespect to authority.
They are unappreciative of other people’s boundaries and would be constantly overstepping, without any regard for their emotions or privacy. For instance, they would borrow money without returning, they would break obligations without apologizing etc.
6-They require excessive admiration:
Narcissists are skilled at hiding their flaws and presenting a confident and intriguing image of themselves. Their talk is riddled with tales of their own accomplishments and success stories. All this is rooted in their need for excessive admiration.
They think highly of themselves and believe that others should admire them too. In fact, they cannot handle any sort of criticism—constructive or destructive—and can become angry and defensive over it.
If you know someone with narcissistic tendencies or who needs professional help with personality traits, then book an appointment with a top psychiatrist in Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad through oladoc.com, or call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 for assistance to find the RIGHT doctor for your concerns.
