Scribd
Upload
130 views

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterized by grandiose sense of self-importance, fantasies of success/power/beauty, belief in one's specialness, and lack of empathy. A study assessed 82 patients using a diagnostic interview for narcissism and found that those with NPD exhibited grandiose beliefs in their uniqueness, superiority and unrealistic overvaluation of their abilities compared to those with other personality disorders or psychiatric conditions. Nine characteristics best discriminated NPD, including arrogant behavior, exaggerated talents, and need for attention and admiration.

Uploaded by

nauw z
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
130 views

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterized by grandiose sense of self-importance, fantasies of success/power/beauty, belief in one's specialness, and lack of empathy. A study assessed 82 patients using a diagnostic interview for narcissism and found that those with NPD exhibited grandiose beliefs in their uniqueness, superiority and unrealistic overvaluation of their abilities compared to those with other personality disorders or psychiatric conditions. Nine characteristics best discriminated NPD, including arrogant behavior, exaggerated talents, and need for attention and admiration.

Uploaded by

nauw z
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

(10-5-04)

DSM-IV Mnemonic: Narcissistic Personality


Disorder
SPE3CIAL (Pinkofsky, 1997, p. 1198)
S [3] Special (believes he or she is
special or unique)
P [2] Preoccupied with fantasies (of
unlimited success, power, brilliance,
beauty, or ideal love
E [8] Envious (of others, or believes
others are envious of him/her)
E [5] Entitlement
E [4] Excessive admiration required
C [1] Conceited (grandiose sense of self
importance)
I [6] Interpersonal exploitation
A [9] Arrogant (haughty)
L [7] Lacks empathy
:
Necessary and Exclusionary criteria
(Benjamin & Strand, 1998; Benjamin, 1993)
necessary: "Grandiose sense of self
importance; entitlement" (p. 783)
exclusionary: "Uncaring recklessness
with self" (p. 784)

Ronningstam & Gunderson (1990) used a


semi-structured Diagnostic Interview for
Narcissism to assess 82 patients meeting
following criteria: 1. 17-45 years of age; 2.
capable of participation in diagnostic
interview; 3. no known organic impairment; 4.
official clinical diagnoses in one of three
categories:
a. Narcissistic personality disorder
(n=24): a prototypic sample which
excluded patients with complicating Axis
I diagnosis (major depression or
concurrent substance abuse). Used
:
LEAD (Longitudinal/Expert/All Data)
standard (Spitzer, 1983).
b. Other "dramatic" cluster personality
disorder (n=36)--borderline (Diagnostic
Interview for Borderline Patients) &
antisocial (SCID-II). Near-neighbor
diagnoses increase specificity for
disorder rather than features that are
just prevalent (highly sensitive). For
instance, in this study were aggressive,
exploitive, & envious (Kernberg) but
these features did not discriminate. Also
they were hypersensitive, showed
intense reactions to criticisms, and
idealized/devalued others (Kohut); but
these did not discriminate.
c. Other psychiatric disorders (n=22)
"The most outstanding features of the
patients with narcissistic personality
disorder was their grandiosity (i.e. belief
in their uniqueness and superiority,
:
combined with an unrealistic
overvaluation of their own abilities, and
grandiose fantasies)" Ronningstam &
Gunderson, 1990, p.921). Nine
characteristics best discriminated:
1. Superiority: sustained unrealistic
view self as better than others;
viewing others as different from
self & inferior; disdain for others.
2. Uniqueness: sense of self as
unique; belief that few have much
in common with oneself; often feel
misunderstood.
3. Exaggeration of talents: even
though generally capable,
exaggerate aptitudes or
achievements in unrealistic ways.
4. Boastful or pretentious behavior:
brag and behave ostentatiously;
assume interest and naivete of
:
others
5. Grandiose fantasies: fantasies
of unlimited success, power,
beauty, wealth, or ideal love
occupy
6. Self-centered and self-
referential behavior: observably
self-preoccupied, and prone to
assign personal meanings to
events (personalize) independent
& unrelated to them; lack of
interest in opinions and reactions
of others
7. Need for attention and
admiration: consider admiring
attention from other important,
report working hard to get it; do not
believe they have unrealistic
expectations about getting
attention and admiration.
:
8. Arrogant and haughty behavior:
snobbish, supercilious, patronizing
behavior in relation to others
9. High achievement: often have
sustained periods of successful
academic, employment, or creative
achievement. Used as justification
for their sense of superiority. Also
a reason they are more apt to be
seen in private practice than in
clinics. Not useful as criterion for
pathological narcissism, but does
help demographic differentiation.
:

You might also like