General considerations about Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Have you ever stopped to think that arrogant person, who feels superior to everyone and is always talking about himself may be suffering from a mental disorder? Well, people with these and other characteristics may suffer from a psychological condition called narcissistic personality disorder.

This disorder is characterized by an exaggerated demand for attention and admiration. These are individuals who cannot empathize with others, are doing everything to be the center of attention and even changing the direction of a conversation so that the focus is on themselves.

The behavior of people with this disorder generates damages in several areas of life, with significant possibility of developing serious complications. Given this scenario, we will talk about this disorder that bothers others so much and we will also list the main symptoms to identify the clinical picture. Continue the text to know everything!

Understand more about Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Perceiving the narcissistic personality disorder in a person is quite easy. But, still, the disorder presents some points that need to be seen to understand the disorder. Learn more in the topics below!

What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

Narcissistic personality disorder is another one of many personality disorders. The main characteristics of the narcissistic type are a high demand for attention and an exaggerated need for admiration. The person with this disorder is unable to empathize with others and experiences various problems in different areas of his life.

They still have high self-confidence and can be extremely disappointed when they do not receive the attention they think they deserve. However, behind this supposed security, there is a weakened self-esteem that is completely vulnerable to a simple constructive criticism. Therefore, individuals with such disorder need to undergo psychotherapeutic treatment.

The difference between Narcissistic Disorder and narcissistic traits

In psychoanalysis, narcissism is an individual personality trait, characterized by an admiration for oneself. The person is already born with this trait, which is being shaped by those responsible around him/her.

Some present this characteristic much more markedly than others, being very individualistic people and even considered as "selfish", but nothing that seriously affects the areas of their life. With analysis sessions, they can improve their interpersonal relationships.

The narcissistic personality disorder is a personality disorder and deviation, catalogued in psychiatric manuals, such as ICD-10 and DSM-5, which brings great damage to the life of the human being. From the symptoms, it is possible to identify when narcissism is a disorder or not.

The risk factors

Some risk factors can trigger narcissistic personality disorder. Children with overprotective or neglectful parents tend to present the clinical condition more easily than others. Research states that biologically vulnerable children can develop the disorder. Neurobiological and genetic factors also influence the onset.

In addition, narcissistic disorder is more frequent in men than in women and usually gives its first signs in adolescence or early adulthood. However, it is worth noting that a person can carry an excellent self-confidence and security in their self-esteem, without it being configured as a disorder.

Complications

Like any other psychological clinical picture, the narcissistic personality disorder can bring a number of complications to the life of the individual. One of them is the difficulty in relationships, in which many people are bothered by the self exaltation of those who have this disorder. Problems at school, work or at home are also quite common.

As a consequence, other mental conditions can arise, such as anxiety disorders, depression, self-harm behaviors and suicidal thoughts. The person with the narcissistic disorder can also abuse alcohol and other drugs and have problems in their physical health. Therefore, treatment is essential to avoid these complications.

The causes of Narcissistic Disorder

The causes of narcissistic personality disorder are quite complex. There is no single explanation for the emergence of this psychological condition. However, genetic, environmental and neurobiological factors provide guidance on the picture. Check it out!

Genetics

The genetic explanation for the appearance of narcissistic personality disorder is the hereditary inheritance of the carrier. That is, it is believed that the individual is born with this disorder, which he received from his relatives. It can be from his biological parents or any other member of the family, even the most distant in relation to the degree of kinship.

Facing this bias, as the cause is genetic, people with the disorder have no cure, because narcissism is part of their personality. What can be done is a treatment with psychotherapy to improve interpersonal relationships and develop other ways of dealing with self-exacerbation.

Environmental

There are researches that state that the cause of narcissistic personality disorder is in environmental factors. School, family, daily life, media etc. could contribute to the development of the disorder. In this case, the mental condition would be considered as a personality disorder, in which it is only necessary to learn new behaviors to solve it.

A family or group therapy would be the most ideal to minimize the symptoms of the disorder. But individual therapies also generate results as it changes the perception of the individual with his own behavior. If the disorder presents other complications, drug intervention is necessary.

Neurobiological

The cause of the neurobiological narcissistic personality disorder is based on the connection between the brain, thought, and behavior. That is, there would be a decrease in the brain's gray matter, which is responsible for the capacity of judgment and perception. With this reduction, the individual's actions are affected, generating narcissism in his behavior.

In this case, he could even use therapies as a form of treatment, but, even so, the grey mass would be reduced, because the person would be born like this. However, what predominates as a cause of the disorder is the multiple factor. That is, several factors contribute to the development of the narcissistic disorder.

The main symptoms and behavior of the narcissist

The symptoms of the person with narcissistic personality disorder are quite easy to notice. After all, the admiration he requires from others is very expressive. But see below how the symptoms of this disorder manifest themselves in the individual and how he behaves!

Need to be admired and adulated

The diagnostic criteria for narcissistic personality disorder involve a number of symptoms. One of them is the need for admiration and adulation. That is, it is not just a simple desire to be admired, it is a real need, a very strong demand for veneration and adoration.

The individual thinks he deserves all this affection from others and uses his attributes to justify such behavior, such as achievements, beauty, material goods, etc. Moreover, he vehemently believes that people's adulation is a legitimate right he has, and the absence of this exaggerated admiration can leave him quite depressed, leading him to a depressive condition.

Exacerbated self-importance

One of the most classic symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder is exacerbated self-importance. That is, the individual believes he is important and deserving of all the attention. He believes he needs special treatment to the detriment of other people, because he does not consider himself as one more in the crowd.

He cannot live without talking about what he has done, his supposed qualities and achievements. Thus, this attitude ends up bothering many people around him, which can contribute to the isolation of those who have the narcissism disorder.

Exaggerated self-empowerment

Feeling empowered is very important for self-confidence and the achievement of personal goals. However, in the case of individuals with narcissistic personality disorder, this self-empowerment is exaggerated. That is, they feel superior to certain people and usually relate only to those who they think are the authority on some subject.

Judgment is very present in their lives and usually their opinions and thoughts are based on superfluous motives. Thus, they cannot look at the essence of people and admire their inner beauty. For this reason, it is very common for these individuals to be considered as "stuck-up", "snobbish" or "arrogant".

Minimization of own faults and defects

If, on the one hand, people with narcissistic personality disorder exalt their self-image, on the other hand, they minimize their own faults and failures. The carriers of this disorder present an enormous difficulty in recognizing their limitations. Their mistakes are justified by them, so that they believe there was a plausible and coherent reason for them to be committed.

This symptom greatly hinders interpersonal relationships and performance in the professional environment. After all, they do not recognize that they need to change certain behavior in favor of the company's objectives, much less accept to take other attitudes so that a love relationship works out. For them, it is the others who are always failing and faulty.

Difficulty in establishing solid relationships

Hardly anyone can stand living with a person who only talks about himself all the time. Therefore, individuals with the narcissistic personality disorder face a great difficulty to establish solid and lasting relationships. Even because, besides extolling their own ego, they are constantly criticizing others around them.

For this type of person, perfection is only with themselves because, according to their perception, they do not make mistakes, much less fail. The other person is always the target of complaints and judgments. Thus, the individual with the disorder can harm someone for the sake of their desires. Because of this, relationships end up becoming very superficial.

Lack of empathy

A symptom that is very recurrent in individuals who have the narcissistic personality disorder is the lack of empathy. They are unable to understand the feelings of others. They cannot understand or perceive the needs of someone else. Thus, their view in relation to the other is always superficial.

It is precisely the lack of empathy that contributes to people with this disorder to override any moral and ethical values for the sake of their own interests. Since they do not care what others will think or feel, people with this disorder will do anything to get what they want, especially attention and admiration.

Hidden feelings

The narcissistic personality disorder sufferer tries to keep his self-image exalted. But, behind this self-exaltation, there is a relentless attempt to hide his own vulnerability and fragile feelings. Ironically, he realizes some of his limitations, but does not expose them to the world, doing everything so that the fragility remains hidden.

It is this symptom that points to the fragile self-esteem of individuals with narcissistic disorder and collaborates with the refusal to accept criticism. Hiding feelings becomes even stronger in individuals who were neglected by their parents during childhood. As a way to deal with parental absence, they end up hiding their weaknesses.

The behaviour of those with Narcissistic Personality Disorder

The behavior of someone with narcissistic personality disorder is quite interesting. He fascinates anyone around him, but is full of arrogance and outbursts of need for admiration. He is a being who captivates people, mainly because he is someone full of achievements and goals attained. In conversations, he changes the direction of the topic so that the subject is himself.

He is very playful and confident, but exaggerates his own achievements. He cannot stand criticism and reacts angrily when judged. If he is a leader, he demands obedience and accomplishment of goals, abusing his authority.

Diagnosis and treatment

Although it does not have a defined cause, narcissistic personality disorder can be very well treated, provided that the correct diagnosis is made and the carrier of the disorder accepts the interventions. See below how to diagnose and treat these individuals!

When to seek professional help?

People with narcissistic personality disorder will hardly recognize that they need professional help. They consider the symptoms of the disorder as characteristics of a strong and secure personality. Moreover, they may judge a professional guidance advice as an offense to their self-esteem. It takes the use of strategies to bring them to professionals.

Generally, these individuals only seek treatment due to complications of the disorder. In these cases, a psychologist or psychiatrist should be sought for evaluation of the symptoms. With the help of a responsible, capable and welcoming medical team, the person can enjoy a pleasant and gratifying life.

The diagnosis

Currently, there are some tests on the internet that, through a questionnaire, help identify the narcissistic personality disorder. However, the diagnosis of the disorder can only be given by a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. However, rarely will an individual with this disorder recognize that they have a problem and need professional help.

But some signs can be observed to identify the mental condition.They are:

- Very special view of self, considering himself as superior, but knows he is vulnerable to loss;

- The person with the disorder regards others as his admirers, seeing them as inferior to him;

- He boasts, telling of his achievements and manipulates others for interests, attacking opponents and breaking rules;

- Cannot be empathetic and has very low social maturity.

Is narcissistic disorder curable?

Due to the multiplicity of factors that cause the narcissistic personality disorder, it can be said that the disorder has no cure, because the disorder is a deviation of the individual's personality, which means that his subjective constitution includes this narcissistic factor. It is part of his essence and his way of relating to life and to people.

However, even though there is no definitive cure, the treatment can be adopted to minimize the symptoms and make the life of this person more pleasant. Even because the mental condition can lead to many complications, such as depression, for example. Therefore, it is very important that the subject is treated to improve their interpersonal relationships.

Treatment through cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy, also called CBT, is a theoretical line of psychology that works on the transformation of negative thoughts of the individual, so that, with this change, the behavior in the face of the issue will change.

Thus, the treatment of narcissistic personality disorder with CBT is based on learning new ways of relating to others through the understanding of one's psychological condition.

With this intervention, the individual understands his emotions, realizing how his attitudes affect people around him. Therefore, the subject tolerates criticism and failures more easily and manages his own feelings better.

Treatment through psychodynamic therapy

The psychodynamic therapy involves the psychoanalytic theories. Within psychoanalysis, there are several lines of intervention with different focuses, but all work on the unconscious bias. That is, the conflicts that plague the individual are in the unconscious, unknown environment for the person, affecting his behavior in life.

With this assumption, the carrier of the narcissistic personality disorder will get to know the emotional conflicts in his unconscious that originated or influenced the disorder. From this, with the help of the professional, he will find new ways of dealing with his self-image, which will have repercussions in his relationships with other people.

The treatment with psychotherapy with focus on transference

In the psychoanalytic field, transference is a concept used to portray the behaviour of the patient in reflecting his closest relationships on the therapist. That is, the way the patient relates to his father, for example, is the same way he behaves with the analyst.

Transference is one of the main tools of psychoanalytic work. Thus, when beginning treatment with a psychoanalyst, the subject with the narcissistic personality disorder will demonstrate its characteristics in the relationship with the professional.

In this relationship, the analyst will serve as a "mirror", in which he will return the patient's way of speaking and acting, allowing the carrier of the disorder to perceive the damages of the narcissistic behavior. With self-knowledge, the individual tends to soften the symptoms of the personality disorder.

Treatment through drug intervention

Since narcissistic personality disorder is a personality disorder, there are no medications to treat the psychological condition. The only way to ease the symptoms is through psychotherapy.

However, in some cases, the clinical picture may present complications such as anxiety and depression. In these situations, drug intervention is necessary to avoid further damage.

In addition, alcohol and drug abuse tends to be frequent in individuals with narcissistic disorder. Therefore, drug treatment is also important to reduce dependence on these substances. Dedication and constancy in interventions are needed for the subject to be successful.

Prevention

Because the exact cause of narcissistic personality disorder is unknown, preventing the disorder becomes an almost impossible task. The psychological condition is very complex and can be caused by several factors. Even the upbringing of the individual can interfere in the appearance of the clinical picture.

However, some actions can be very helpful, such as:

- Treatment for mental problems that arise in childhood;

- Family therapy for more harmonious living through learning healthy ways of communicating and dealing with emotional distress or conflict;

- Child-rearing guidance with psychologists and, if necessary, with social workers.

Don't hesitate to seek professional help when you identify the symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder!

In general, the person with the narcissistic personality disorder only seeks help when the disorder presents complications. The doctor is requested by depressive pictures or alcohol and drug abuse. In this process, the presence of the mental disorder is discovered.

Without the complications, the individual will hardly seek help, because he does not recognize his own harmful attitudes. Therefore, if you notice the narcissistic behavior as a disorder in someone close to you, do not hesitate to guide him to seek professional help.

But for that, you will have to clothe yourself with a lot of patience to stand by this person. Keep in mind that no matter how arrogant and overbearing, the individual with this disorder is in pain, especially when they don't receive the admiration they think they deserve.

Obviously, you are not going to satisfy his interests. But use this need for attention as a strategy to get him to see a psychotherapist. Tell him that even a health professional can learn from him. This attitude will inflate this individual's ego, making it possible for the professional to intervene!