Published on May 02, 2025
Understanding the Difference: Narcissism vs. Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Narcissism is a frequent topic for podcasts, social media posts, articles and books today. However, there is a wide gap between someone who displays traits occasionally and a person with pathological narcissism that can be diagnosed as Narcissistic Personality Disorder. In the mental health field, therapists are looking for severity, frequency and duration of symptoms before diagnosing someone with a personality disorder.
Most of us have met someone with narcissistic traits. This could be a person who needs to be the center of attention, has an inflated ego, wants to have their way, desires ambition and success and is motivated by acknowledgement and praise for accomplishments. Most people may have moments displaying one or two of these traits, but not everyone shows these traits repeatedly.
Someone with narcissistic traits may be aware if they cross a line and can adjust their behavior in response to how others react. They possess some degree of self-awareness and are often able to self-regulate to remain socially acceptable.
Understanding Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a pathological mental health disorder. Full criteria can be found in the DSM-5-TR (APA, 2022) diagnostic manual. Approximately 1-2 percent of the general population meets diagnostic criteria for NPD. Therapists look for the following characteristics:
Jill Green, MA, LLP, Psychotherapist
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When traits such as these are long-term, inflexible and severe, NPD can be diagnosed.
Pathological narcissists tend to have a fragile ego that is protected with toxic behaviors such as:
Someone with NPD believes relationships are not for connection but are vehicles by which they can achieve their desires or goals. They can be charming and cruel or professionally successful. They could also appear as low-functioning or involved in criminal behaviors. While there are many outcomes, NPD is associated with legal, work and relationship problems (Weinberg & Ronningstam, 2022) and they often suffer from chronic depression, anxiety and substance abuse. Clients with NPD typically lack self-awareness. They often do not seek therapy for narcissism but may try counseling for relationship losses or work issues. If they are willing to work on their narcissism, progress can be made slowly.
When to Seek Support
If you have a narcissist in your life, you may want to speak to a mental health professional about tools to manage that relationship or learn ways to disengage from something that is unhealthy.
Talking to a counselor can help you find out what makes you feel stressed and learn healthy ways to cope. Bronson HelpNet Behavioral Health Specialists offers in-person and virtual counseling services in Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and Paw Paw. Learn more and meet our counselors. To get started, give us a call at (269) 245-3850.
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