Grandiosity
Exaggerated sense of self-importance
Feeling superior to others and that one deserves special treatment
Feelings are often accompanied by fantasies of unlimited success, brilliance, power, beauty, or love
Excessive need for admiration
Must be the center of attention
Often monopolize conversations
Patients feel slighted, mistreated, depleted, and enraged when ignored
Superficial and exploitative relationships
Relationships are based on surface attributes and not the unique qualities of others
People are only valued only to the extent they are viewed as beneficial
Lack of empathy
Severely limited or totally lacking ability to care about the emotional needs or experiences of others, even loved ones
Identity disturbance
Sense of self is highly superficial, extremely rigid, and often fragile
Self-stability depends on maintaining the view that one is exceptional
Grandiose sense of self is easily threatened
Patients retreat from or deny realities that challenge grandiosity
Difficulty with attachment and dependency
Relies on feedback from the environment
Relationships only exist to shore up positive self-image
Interactions are superficial
Intimacy is avoided
Chronic feelings of emptiness and boredom
When attention and praise are not available, patients feel empty, bored, depressed, or restless
Vulnerability to life transitions
Difficulty maintaining reality-based personal and professional goals over time
Compromises required by school, jobs, and relationships may feel unbearable
Young adults may have a “failure to launch”
Narcissistic personality disorder is also a significant risk factor for suicide and suicidal attempts.
How Is Narcissism Diagnosed?