The Nine Characteristics of NPD
Overall, there are 9 characteristics of NPD. You must have at least 5 of these at the same time to be diagnosed with it. Some narcissists may be able to control these personality traits, but some may not, and that is when they start to become dangerous.
1. Arrogance and Domineering
Overall, there are 9 characteristics of NPD. You must have at least 5 of these at the same time to be diagnosed with it. Some narcissists may be able to control these personality traits, but some may not, and that is when they start to become dangerous.
1. Arrogance and Domineering
People with NPD are likely to have arrogant qualities, and will assert one's own ideas over others in an air of superiority and pride. Funny enough, when I went on google to find an image of arrogance, it mostly came up with a vast collection of business men sticking their noses up in the air. This not only confirms the unfortunate stereotype of business men, but also remind us that people with big egos are mostly found in corporations and businesses.
2. Grandiosity
2. Grandiosity
Grandiosity means to feel superior. Narcissists usually elevate them selves to the point where everyone else is inferior to them, their traits and their talents.
3. Preoccupation with Success and Power
3. Preoccupation with Success and Power
Due to their high expectations of themselves, they never expect to fail. Ambitions of success and achieving power dominates the mind of narcissist.
4. Lack of Empathy
4. Lack of Empathy
This is definitely the most dangerous trait out of the nine because not only is it subtle and hard to detect, but it also puts everyone else around them at risk. This lack of empathy is the result generally shallow emotions, such as; the inability to love deeply, lack of remorse and lack of guilt.
For example, when someone with NPD has lost a loved one, if they lack empathy, they're not happy, but they're not sad. At least, not sad or crying to the extent most humans are. Or when they are being wed, and declaring vows to his/her partner, they probably have no intention of being emotionally faithful. They are just doing it because they are expected to. So they continue to live a married life, but the vows and emotions mean nothing to them.
Drawing away from depressing situations that affect them personally, let's take a look at how they might react to another person's suffering. For example, if a highly destructive earthquake had hit in a region halfway across the world from the narcissist, everyone would be feeling empathetic and offering condolences to those affected. But yet the NPD sufferer simply says "But I don't live in that region." It's this disconnection they feel that is highly subtle.
Many narcissists do not know the way they feel is abnormal because they have nothing to compare it to. It could be very late in someone's life when they first start to realise a lot of people didn't feel the way they did. Also, this trait is important to a narcissist simply because a lack of empathy could benefit to success.
5. Belief of Being Unique
For example, when someone with NPD has lost a loved one, if they lack empathy, they're not happy, but they're not sad. At least, not sad or crying to the extent most humans are. Or when they are being wed, and declaring vows to his/her partner, they probably have no intention of being emotionally faithful. They are just doing it because they are expected to. So they continue to live a married life, but the vows and emotions mean nothing to them.
Drawing away from depressing situations that affect them personally, let's take a look at how they might react to another person's suffering. For example, if a highly destructive earthquake had hit in a region halfway across the world from the narcissist, everyone would be feeling empathetic and offering condolences to those affected. But yet the NPD sufferer simply says "But I don't live in that region." It's this disconnection they feel that is highly subtle.
Many narcissists do not know the way they feel is abnormal because they have nothing to compare it to. It could be very late in someone's life when they first start to realise a lot of people didn't feel the way they did. Also, this trait is important to a narcissist simply because a lack of empathy could benefit to success.
5. Belief of Being Unique
This characteristic comes with the belief that not a lot of people have things in common with them. They believe that they are unique or special in some way, which also allows them to think that not many people can understand them. They feel that others inferior to them are too intellectually limited to even comprehend their greatness.
6. Sense of Entitlement
6. Sense of Entitlement
A person suffering from Narcissistic Personality disorder to likely to have a demeanour of sense entitlement, meaning that they believe they deserve certain privileges or special treatment.
7. Requires Excessive Admiration
7. Requires Excessive Admiration
Some sufferers of NPD may feel that they need to be admired or looked up to by others. They also may feel that they deserve this admiration which links closely into the belief that they deserve certain special privileges.
8. Exploitative
8. Exploitative
Narcissists have a defining characteristic of being exploitative, meaning utilising others for their own gain or advantage. Their lack of empathy could be thought to fuel this aspect of them. Along with the other characteristics, the urge for engaging in exploitation is one that could prove as a threat or pose as a danger for society and those around them.
9. Envious of Others
The last of the 9 aspects of an NPD sufferer is the tendency to be envious of others. This links in with their preoccupation with success and need for power. They use other's success to become jealous and use that as a stepping stone to their own success.
