u.p. college of medicine students- chimongs doval-santos, siomay domingo, carlo de guzman, jayson de jesus, des dayag, and i had a lengthy discussion and activity on the topic of narcissistic personality disorder.
narcissists don't stop at having a superiority complex, they also bring out the inferiority complex in others. here are the DSM-IV criteria for narcissistic personality disorder:
- Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
- Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
- Believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
- Requires excessive admiration
- Has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
- Is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
- Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
- Is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her
- Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes
underneath the conceitedness, boastfulness, and arrogance of narcissists is a fragile self-esteem. narcissists are extremely sensitive to criticism and will belittle others to make themselves appear better.
narcissistic personality disorder is probably genetic in origin, or it may originate from a childhood wherein parents were overly-pampering, manipulative, uncaring, or abusive.
people with narcissistic personality disorder need long-term psychotherapy. the psychotherapist's challenge is to help the narcissist develop empathy, sensitivity, humility, and a realistic perception of one's self. in the meantime, to preserve your self-esteem and dignity, make sure to stay clear of narcissists please.
