A narcissist can be highly successful in their career, but it is not always easy to maintain that success. They are often controlling and demanding of others at work. This means they tend to have high turnover rates among employees and conflicts with colleagues.
The professions of investment banking, stock brokers, hedge funds managers, and related high stakes sales positions are all very attractive to narcissists. One study showed that narcissists love job positions where they can make their way to the top of a hierarchy.
Narcissists thrive on getting attention, feeling special, and having control. He is an expert at getting an emotional reaction out of you – good or bad – because it makes him feel powerful and better than you.
Narcissistic supply is a form of psychological addiction where the narcissist requires–and even demands–limitless special treatment, admiration, importance, or validation to feed their sense of entitlement and self-centeredness.
Grandiose sense of self-importance
Grandiosity is the defining characteristic of narcissism. More than just arrogance or vanity, grandiosity is an unrealistic sense of superiority. Narcissists believe they are unique or “special” and can only be understood by other special people.
On the other extreme, persons with vulnerable narcissism may present with salient features of dysthymia, depression, and anhedonia. However, the grandiosity and need for admiration would be prominent despite the affective symptoms, which would differentiate it from a major depressive disorder.
Cerebral narcissists, also known as intellectual narcissists, are individuals who try to fulfill their narcissistic supply through their perceived intelligence. While intellectual narcissists are generally smart, they may present as if they are more educated than they really are.
She says despite their negative traits, narcissists can often be very successful in the workplace. This is due to their charisma, extreme self-confidence, and willingness to take big risks.
Narcissists can sometimes be helpful and caring. However, more often than not, they only pretend to have these qualities. Moreover, even when they act giving and helping, they are not motivated by empathy because they severely lack it, and as a result, their help is often not very productive.
Lowers Anxiety and Risk for Depression
People with healthy narcissistic traits have higher self-esteem, which can lower stress levels and create a baseline of general happiness. “They are better able to impress people favorably because of a higher self-regard,” says Whitbourne.
The truth is that nothing can make a narcissist happy, because their agenda of dominance, exploitation and oppression creates an ever-expanding chasm within their soul. The narcissist can take pleasure in the exercise of power and the subjugation of others, but they can't feel happiness from any source.
Forgiving – An ideal target is a forgiving and caring person. They quickly and easily forgive the narcissist's bad behavior and look past their negative traits. The forgiving target will make excuses for the narcissist and usually take the blame for the abuse.
“As narcissists do not have empathy, they are not able to genuinely care or love you,” explains Davey. Instead, narcissists will only have people in their lives that benefit them; they are very selfish people. “They are number one in their lives.
The cause is likely complex. Narcissistic personality disorder may be linked to: Environment — parent-child relationships with either too much adoration or too much criticism that don't match the child's actual experiences and achievements. Genetics — inherited characteristics, such as certain personality traits.
NPD Brains Work Differently
According to research, people with narcissistic personality disorder have reduced gray matter volume in areas of the brain related to empathy and increased activity on baseline images in brain regions associated with self-directed and self-absorbed thinking.
Narcissists might have "grandiose" delusions about their own importance and an absence of "shame" - but psychologists say they are also likely to be happier than most people.
Summary: For most people, narcissism wanes as they age. A new study reports the magnitude of the decline of narcissistic traits is tied to specific career and personal relationship choices. However, this is not true for everyone.
Autism and narcissism are two distinct conditions with different underlying causes and symptoms. However, in some cases, individuals with autism may exhibit behavior that can be perceived as self-centered or lacking empathy, which could be mistaken for narcissistic traits.
People with narcissistic personality disorder tend not to perceive that they themselves may have a mental health problem, and thus may be less likely to seek evaluation or treatment.
Malignant narcissists are often regarded as having the most extreme form of NPD, and while they will have the regular qualities of someone with narcissistic personality disorder, their self-absorption and self-obsession is accompanied by some darker behaviors as well.
Although narcissists act superior, entitled and boastful, underneath their larger-than-life facade lies their greatest fear: That they are ordinary. For narcissists, attention is like oxygen. Narcissists believe only special people get attention.
It comes hand-in-hand with this that narcissists hate being criticised or called out. Which is exactly why there's one word in particular narcissistic people cannot stand: "no".