Narcissistic Personalty

The wold is full of narcissistic people. Perhaps you know one, live with one, work with one, perhaps you are one. Dr. Duane Dobbert (2007) states, "Both PDs present extreme egocentricity to the exclusion of others. They believe they are the smartest, the most attractive, most influential, and thus "better" than anyone else. Others fall into a 2nd class position and consequently the PDs believe that they are entitled."

Let us look a little closer at what a narcissist is. America's Mental Health Channel (2008) defines narcissism as, "A pattern of traits and behaviors which signify infatuation and obsession with one's self to the exclusion of all others and the egotistic and ruthless pursuit of one's gratification, dominance and ambition." Furthermore, the article states that most narcissist are men (75%) and belongs to the same group of personality disorders as Borderline, Antisocial, and Histrionic (America's Mental Health Channel, 2008).

Dr. Duane Dobbert (2007) notes the similarities between an antisocial personality disorder and a narcissistic personality disorder. Dobbert (2007) states:

What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

NPD is a type of psychological personality disorder characterized primarily by grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy. Narcissism occurs in a spectrum of severity, but the pathologically narcissistic tend to be extremely self-absorbed, intolerant of others’ perspectives, insensitive to others’ needs and indifferent to the effect of their own egocentric behavior.

What is Antisocial Personality Disorder?

APD (aka ASPD) is a psychological personality disorder characterized by lack of empathy or conscience, a difficulty controlling impulses and manipulative behaviors. This disorder is sometimes also referred to as psychopathy or sociopathy, however, Antisocial Personality Disorder is the clinical terminology used for diagnosis (APA 2000).


So many believe they are entitled to good fortune, luck, wealth, a good job, the perfect romance, the picture perfect life. But the reality is, no one is. The reality is that to get the things listed above, it is very little about luck and very much about sound decisions, decisive action, and hard work.

Are your narcissistic tendencies holding you back? Do you feel entitled to the perfect job, the perfect mate, to coming into large amounts of money, to recognition, popularity...the list goes on. The best way you can change your life is to do what it takes (even counseling) to dump narcissistic tendencies, take responsibility for your actions and in-actions and begin seizing these things you feel "entitled" to through hard work and most importantly, time.

References

Dobbert, D. (2007). Similarities Between Antisocial & Narcissism. Retrieved on November 7, 2009, from Suite101.com

Vaknin, S. (2008). Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Retrieved on November 7, 2009 from America's Mental Health Channel.