Importance

I’m not a doctor or have any expertise in this area, but I think I know a person like this.

“Narcissism” has become an increasingly popular topic in the lay press in recent years, but experts say the term is misunderstood, as personality patterns may be distinct from a true diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder.

MedPage Today spoke with Scott Krakower, DO, of Northwell Health in Glen Oaks, New York, for more context on what narcissism is — and isn’t — and why the term has garnered considerably more attention.

“I don’t know that narcissism has changed over time, but I would say a lot of [the increased attention around it] comes from social media and a more entitled generation,” Krakower told MedPage Today. “Social media has enabled things to be done on a whim, with the expectation everything will be done quickly. But people may be using the wrong word.”

Krakower noted that it’s “hard to meet the criteria for a full narcissistic personality disorder” as defined by the bible of psychiatry, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).

A true diagnosis involves meeting at least five of nine DSM criteria, including a grandiose sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration, a lack of empathy, a sense of entitlement, and a preoccupation with success, power, and brilliance.

“It’s a high sense of ego,” Krakower said. “Everything revolves around that person. It may have its roots in childhood trauma, or it can be related to personality.”

At the same time, the narcissist will be very sensitive to rejection, “where little things can set them off,” he added.

Narcissists will often be manipulative, Krakower said, and some of the tactics they use include gaslighting, scapegoating, and frequently putting people down without any good reason for doing so.

Excerpt from MedpageToday