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Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Grand Canyon University
UNV-506: Introduction to Graduate Studies
Narcissistic Personality Disorders
The word narcissism derives from a Greek mythology character Narcissus; a hunter who
fell in love with his own reflection which ending in his demise. Narcissistic Personality Disorder
(NPD) is more than narcissism a word used often used to describe over confident
personalities. In the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), defines NPD as over inflated and overt sense of self,
the constant need for approval, and a lack of empathy, frequently occurred in early adulthood.
There are nine characteristics used to diagnosis this illness at least five of the nine characteristics
need to be present. Bilotta et al., (2018) noted despite the different narcissisms sub-types, a
failure to regulate emotions and the self-esteem highs and lows are common across the board.
Narcissistic Personality Disorders (NPD) is a serious mental health condition with a range of
symptoms that can cause difficulty in many areas of life and requires treatment by a healthcare
, 3
professional. Page 10, suggests a rotation between grandiose and vulnerable states and further
proposes that narcissistic personality disorder represents a ubiquitous pattern of traits varying
from vulnerable self-esteem to grandiosity and assertiveness to inadequacy or vulnerability, with
egocentric social behavior, and hypervigilance, Ronningstam, (2017).
NPD Signs and Symptoms
According to (Zajenkowski & Fronczyk, 2020) Psychologist divide Narcissistic
Personality into categories Grandiose, Vulnerable and Malignant Narcissism proposing that the
root cause to narcissist is extremely low worth of self-esteem. NPD presents different in every
individual. During my last year in the Army, they assigned a new Major as team leader for
Operations. He did not have a clinical diagnosis of narcissism, but he displayed many of the
traits discussed in this paper. His highly manipulative agenda often created conflicts within the
team. He would undermine leadership and discredit the team whenever given the opportunity.
Research suggests this leader may have displayed malignant narcissist traits. He was violent,
short-tempered, and abusive to co-workers and his family.
Grandiose Narcissist
The most common narcissist characterized by dominance, extroversion and attention
seeking behavior. Grandiose Narcissist seek leadership roles and can be extremely manipulative,
showing little or no remorse. To make up for low self-esteem, individuals with this personality
trait often create and embellished fantasies of power, position and status. The need for
admiration fuels violence or abuse brutal acts where they display no remorse (Radke et al.,
2020).
Vulnerable Narcissist
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Grand Canyon University
UNV-506: Introduction to Graduate Studies
Narcissistic Personality Disorders
The word narcissism derives from a Greek mythology character Narcissus; a hunter who
fell in love with his own reflection which ending in his demise. Narcissistic Personality Disorder
(NPD) is more than narcissism a word used often used to describe over confident
personalities. In the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), defines NPD as over inflated and overt sense of self,
the constant need for approval, and a lack of empathy, frequently occurred in early adulthood.
There are nine characteristics used to diagnosis this illness at least five of the nine characteristics
need to be present. Bilotta et al., (2018) noted despite the different narcissisms sub-types, a
failure to regulate emotions and the self-esteem highs and lows are common across the board.
Narcissistic Personality Disorders (NPD) is a serious mental health condition with a range of
symptoms that can cause difficulty in many areas of life and requires treatment by a healthcare
, 3
professional. Page 10, suggests a rotation between grandiose and vulnerable states and further
proposes that narcissistic personality disorder represents a ubiquitous pattern of traits varying
from vulnerable self-esteem to grandiosity and assertiveness to inadequacy or vulnerability, with
egocentric social behavior, and hypervigilance, Ronningstam, (2017).
NPD Signs and Symptoms
According to (Zajenkowski & Fronczyk, 2020) Psychologist divide Narcissistic
Personality into categories Grandiose, Vulnerable and Malignant Narcissism proposing that the
root cause to narcissist is extremely low worth of self-esteem. NPD presents different in every
individual. During my last year in the Army, they assigned a new Major as team leader for
Operations. He did not have a clinical diagnosis of narcissism, but he displayed many of the
traits discussed in this paper. His highly manipulative agenda often created conflicts within the
team. He would undermine leadership and discredit the team whenever given the opportunity.
Research suggests this leader may have displayed malignant narcissist traits. He was violent,
short-tempered, and abusive to co-workers and his family.
Grandiose Narcissist
The most common narcissist characterized by dominance, extroversion and attention
seeking behavior. Grandiose Narcissist seek leadership roles and can be extremely manipulative,
showing little or no remorse. To make up for low self-esteem, individuals with this personality
trait often create and embellished fantasies of power, position and status. The need for
admiration fuels violence or abuse brutal acts where they display no remorse (Radke et al.,
2020).
Vulnerable Narcissist
