Narcissism Resources, Page Two

Types of Narcissistic Personalites

By Amanda Parish

"Shedler in a November 2008 American Journal of Psychiatry article suggests there are three narcissistic personality disorder subtypes. These three are grandiose/malignant, fragile and high-functioning/exhibitionist. The grandiose or malignant subtype is identified by marked arrogance, contempt for others and a belief that they should only associate with other special people like themselves. A fragile narcissistic personality exhibits the typical characteristics associated with the disorder but also tends to be despondent and depressed. The third subtype, high functioning, is socially at-ease and articulate but still exhibits the inflated self-esteem representative of those with narcissistic personality disorder."

Narcissism in High-Functioning Individuals: 

Big Ego or Severe Disorder? 

by Veronica Pamoukaghlian

"If scholars and clinicians can’t agree on diagnosis criteria, it will be no surprise to find that the general assumptions of society about what constitutes NPD will be rather uncertain. Regarding this issue, a study published in 2008 found certain core features of the disorder which are not included in the DSM-IV’s description of it. These were: interpersonal vulnerability and underlying emotional distress, anger, difficulty in regulating affect, and interpersonal competitiveness."

Leadership

by Robert Hogan and James Fico

“Coaching narcissists requires focusing on their need for self-enhancement.    Appealing to their sense of loyalty to the team or to the value of participating in something greater than themselves will be ignored or rejected as naïve.  When coaching narcissists, one must appeal only to their self-interest.   We find it useful to tell narcissists that certain behaviors will harm their careers, and certain others will enhance them.”

About Narcissism and NPD
by Keith Campbell

“Another issue of debate surrounds the “types” of narcissism that exists. My take is that there seems to be a growing agreement in the research community that there are at least two forms of narcissism. I prefer the terms “grandiose-agentic” and “grandiose-vulnerable” to describe these, but I think a simpler “grandiose” versus “vulnerable” is more commonly used. Grandiose narcissism is associated with a forceful personality, leadership, and also charm, charisma and likability in the short-term. I think “McSteamy” on Grey’s Anatomy is a good example of this. Vulnerable narcissism is associated with lower self-esteem, more anxiety, a less forceful personality, but still grandiosity. I think of the “Comic Book Guy” on the Simpsons is a good example of this.”

Co-Narcissism: How We Accommodate to Narcissistic Parents

Alan Rappoport, Ph.D. 

"This article introduces the term "co-narcissism" to refer to the way that people accommodate to narcissistic parents. I use the term narcissism here to refer to people with very low self-esteem who attempt to control other's views of them for defensive purposes. They are interpersonally rigid, easily offended, self-absorbed, blaming, and find it difficult to empathize with others. Co-narcissistic people, as a result of their attempts to get along with their narcissistic parents, work hard to please others, defer to other's opinions, worry about how others think and feel about them, are often depressed or anxious, find it hard to know their own views and experience, and take the blame for interpersonal problems. They fear being selfish if they act assertively. A high proportion of psychotherapy patients are co-narcissistic. The article discusses the co-narcissistic syndrome and its treatment, and gives case examples of patients who suffer from this problem."