4 Types Of Narcissism & How To Distinguish Them

4 Types Of Narcissism & How To Distinguish Them

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD): is a personality disorder in which people have an inflated opinion of themselves. They also have an intense need for the admiration and attention of others.

To be diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder, someone needs to express five of nine specific traits. People with the disorder are often characterized as having a lack of empathy, a grandiose view of themselves, and a need for admiration.

Narcissistic personalities  are basically toxic people, and in order to deal with them properly, you must understand the features of their personalities and the differences between them in terms of symptoms and the way in which they treat their victims.

So There are 4 distinct types of narcissists.

1- Exhibitionist Narcissists:

They like to be the center of admiring attention. They tend to dominate conversations, feel entitled to special treatment, act supremely confident, and enjoy telling stories and giving advice. The exhibitionist narcissists attempt to construct to hide their own self-doubt

Exhibitionist narcissists don't tend to be insecure at all, When they aren't spending time bragging about themselves, exhibitionist narcissists are putting down everyone else. They will often be carelessly rude and cruel about people, and tend to ignore or not even notice how people react to it.

2- The Closet Narcissist

Unlike their grandiose kin, they fear criticism so much as they feel too exposed and vulnerable to enjoy being the center of admiring attention. They are afraid that other people will see all their flaws and attack and devalue them

Instead of being overtly demanding, closed narcissists sometimes try to manipulate indirectly to get their way. They may play the victim, or facial expressions unconcerned about what you say, often pretending they are much more beautiful than they feel inside.

3- The Malignant Narcissist

Some experts consider this presentation of narcissism the most severe sub-type.
according to Campbell’s Psychiatric Dictionary, malignant narcissism combines characteristics of:

• narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)
• antisocial personality disorder (APD)
• aggression and sadism, either toward others, self, or both
• paranoia

Malignant narcissists are considered to be at the extreme end of the continuum of narcissism due to their cruelty and aggressiveness. They’re paranoid, immoral, and sadistic. They find pleasure in creating chaos and taking people down.

4- The bullying narcissist

This person combines two terrible traits: bullying and self-absorption. Bullying narcissists build themselves up by trashing other people,  so they are very toxic people

They’re often fixated on winning and will mock or threaten others to get their way. 

They ultimately get joy from making other people feel bad, small, or unworthy. This is different from a “regular” bully who tends to put people down for social gain, where a bullying narcissist does it for personal motivation.

Read Also:

2 Things that can trap you in relationship with a narcissist

Sources:
psychologytoday.com
psychcentral.com
wellandgood.com