10 Common Traits of Narcissists: Spot the Red Flags Fast

Introduction

This is a term that is familiar to anyone; however, what is the essence of narcissism? Most of you might have come across a person who appeared too narcissistic or a person who expected others to compliment and pay attention to them all the times. But is that enough to qualify them as a narcissist? Here are the 10 common traits of narcissist that will help to identify these features in the environment and, possibly, in ourselves as well. This article gives major aspects of narcissism and proceeds to explain the definition of each in details.

What is Narcissism?

Now, before one gets into the various traits of narcissism it is very important that one gets to know what narcissism is in the first place. Self-obsession is not a mere act of being egotistic; it is a part of a personality structure that can influence interpersonal behavior. That is narcissism which is marked by traits such as grandiosity, desire of excessive attention, interpersonal problems and lack of empathy.

In other words, a narcissist is an egocentric who can only see the world from his perspective. However it deserves to be stressed that narcissistic behavior is not monolithic. It is not very sinful to be narcissistic sometimes; it is in everyone to some extent. Scholars posit that it’s these traits that turn into a problem when they result in a given individual’s or their social relations’ dysfunctioning.

1. Grandiose Sense of Self-Importance

We already know that one of the main behavioral features of the narcissist is extreme elevation of self-esteem. Narcissists thus expect preferential treatment from other people in regard to what they consider their superior self-importance. They may overemphasize some of their accomplishments or aptitudes, in the belief that they should be commended for it even in the absence of results to prove it.

Picture out a person who even when growing up was encouraged to think of themselves as the most important character in a play and therefore should always be at the center stage. This causes them to develop an inflated self-image and this makes them think that they are superior to everybody else.

2. Need for Excessive Admiration

Narcissists thrive on admiration. They require frequent compliments and appreciation so as to boost their morale. This need may make them develop symptoms of persecutory anxiety that compel them to find situations that will likely to admiring them.

For example, a narcissist might end up with a job or friends in which he or she receives constant praise. But this is a never-ending pursuit for such a sign of validation, which is tiring for people around them and results in the deterioration of interpersonal relationships.

3. Lack of Empathy

Compassion is the virtue of being able to put oneself in other people’s shoes. In contrast, narcissists are well-known for their inability to understand other people’s needs and feelings. They fail in understanding as well as having empathy for the emotions and requirements of other people, something which can give them an unemotional appearance.

Let me conjure up such a picture for you – you know the type of person who turns everything into a self-serving endeavor, even in situations that call for empathy. This lack of empathy is often a problem that cannot be easily overcome in terms of creating affectionate relationships that go below the superficial level.

4. Sense of Entitlement

Other previous narcissists’ features include a sense of entitlement. They think that they should get privileged treatment and generally always want the attention of other people. This entitlement can range from getting offended when people do not drop all that they are doing to help, or getting furious when they do not receive what they want.

Imagine a person who anticipates they will cut queues or get favored only because they feel superior to everyone else. These expectations cause resentment that comes from the overlydeveloped, self-entitled ego and unbearable discomfort in conditions which do not directly correlate with their glorified selves.

5. Exploitative Behaviour

In relationships, narcissists are very likely to use others in order to get what they want. They may groom or abuse individuals without regard to the feeling the action has on the target individual.

For instance, a narcissist may well feign fascination with person A with an aim of getting a thing that he/she wants from the individual, be it status, money, or other wants. After they have received their end of it in a relationship, they may just toss the person aside like an old rag doll. Such behavior is unbecoming of them and is a pointer that they are simply egoists who do not really care for other people.

6. Envy of Others

Still, many narcissists are jealous of others; this is due to the fact that they can easily view another person as a competitor and a threat. This often results in cases of jealousy and, consequently, the need to pave a lower standard of fellow beings for one to feel superior.

Think of a person who cannot tolerate to see another person happy or to succeed. This is because they may seek to endlessly try to lower the achievements of others and demean them to feel adequate. These are constant comparison and jealousy which are part of the narcissistic personality

7. Arrogance and Haughtiness

Some of the features of narcissistic are entitlement and grandiosity in which they consider themselves superior to other people. He or she might be proud and arrogant to people whom they consider to be of the lower class and hence treating them poorly.

Supposing there was a man who aimed at speaking ill of others and never regarded the thoughts and inputs of the latter as valuable. Due to this, narcissists do not get to develop close interpersonal relationship; they often repel people because of their arrogance.

8. Preoccupation with Fantasies

A common feature of the narcissist is the tendency to experience THEME: Grandiosity, as they indulge in fantasies of success, power, intelligence or attractiveness beyond measure. They might think of themselves as possessing the perfect spouse or the best employee for a given company or the most envied person in their group.

Such fantasies might help narcissistic patients to avoid the realities of one’s own life and achieve certain boosts in self-esteem. But when it comes to their real life and relationships, this fixation causes them to ignore issues with reality and potential problems.

9. Obsession with Power and Success

This is why one of the main characteristics of narcissists is the insidious greed for success and power – in other words, the desire to be the dominant figure at any given time. This obsession is sometimes taken to the extent of making them accomplish every goal they set in life regardless the cost and might just trample on other people to achieve them.

Conceivably enshrine a profile of an individual who is ever in search of an alternative on how to maneuver himself or herself to the next level of societal or organizational hierarchy, regardless of who gets trampled upon in the process. Such a ruthless drive towards power and success harms relationships and results in empty people following it.

10. Superficial Relationships

Their inability to form deep meaningful relationship is probably because narcissists are more self-actualised than other people. They have poor interpersonal relationships, their relationships are basically a ‘them and me’ type of relationship where the other person needs to do this or that for them.

It is as if a person makes friends and associates with people for the mere reason of getting something out of them and or from the relationship and then dumps them after they no longer benefit from them. This aspect of narcissistic personalities implies that despite the outward charm they portray in the construction of relationships, they are very lonely people.

Conclusion

Familiarity with 110 characteristics of persons with NPD will enable the identification of such tendencies in oneself or other people. Of course, we all have some of these characteristics from time to time; nevertheless, there is a marked difference in the repetition and magnitude of such conduct in narcissists. If you recognize these traits, you are on the defense as you start protecting yourself from such person you are encountering.

People can be narcissistic, and this is a personality disorder but one that has aspects that can be controlled with some education and effort. Just a reminder that there is rationality and one should not forget about it and fall into the trap of complete narcissism.

FAQ’s

1. What is the main characteristic of a narcissist?

The distribution in primary Narcissistic personality disorder is a preoccupation with grandiosity. They feel that because of this fact, they are better than everybody else and should be treated as such.

2. Can narcissists feel empathy?

Narcissists tend to have no empathy, that would be a fair definition, because they cannot easily put themselves in someone else’s shoes and try to comprehend their needs and concerns.

3. How do narcissists handle relationships?

The observation that narcissists have many and mostly rather shallow contacts is unsurprising as they are people-centred to any extent. It submits that they are self-centered and over have the tendency to exploit others.

4. What drives a narcissist?

Narcissists are typically motivated by grandiosity, that is, they have pathological demands for admiration, dominance, and achievement. In a bid to meet these objectives, they will do anything.

5. Can narcissism be treated?

Currently, narcissism is a condition that is considered non curable but patients with narcissism can in one way benefit from therapy since they are able to be taught how to modify their behavior especially when it comes to repeat situations that lead to increased narcissism.