Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).1Individuals with NPD have an inflated sense of self-importance, and may become upset or bewildered when they don’t receive the praise and attention they feel they deserve.
As such, people with NPD often have fragile, highly variable self-esteem, and tend to be sensitive to criticism. Researchers propose that variable self-esteem, with attempts at regulation via approval-seeking behaviors and grandiosity, is central to NPD.2 People with NPD are also often envious of others, and believe that others are envious of them.Individuals with NPD have difficulty recognizing and identifying others’ feelings and needs.
Fueled by a drive for admiration and special treatment, people with NPD inadvertently or consciously exploit others. Other people may describe those with NPD as snobbish, condescending, and emotionally cold.
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