In this episode of the Personality Couch Podcast, we (licensed clinical psychologists Doc Bok and Doc Fish) delve into the complexities of pathological narcissism, exploring its various expressions, including covert, overt, grandiose, and vulnerable narcissism. We discuss how these themes of overt and covert narcissism appear in all narcissistic individuals, as do grandiose and vulnerable themes. We articulate how covert narcissism is under the surface in thoughts and fantasies, whereas overt narcissism is behavioral. We also highlight the shiny, extroverted themes of grandiose narcissism, while discussing the underlying emotional issues associated with vulnerable narcissism, including shame, anger, and moodiness. We overall emphasize the overlap between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, detailing that both can coexist within a single individual, leading to a range of ways pathological narcissism can present.

Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Pathological Narcissism 03:26 Distinguishing Between Covert and Overt Narcissism 09:39 Exploring Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissistic Themes 12:37 The Psyche of Grandiose Narcissism 19:54 The Psyche of Vulnerable Narcissism 30:10 Similarities Between Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissism 33:19 Summary and Closing

References

• Akhtar, S. (2000). The shy narcissist. In J. Sandler, R. Michels, & P. Fonagy (Eds.), Changing ideas in a changing world: The revolution in psychoanalysis: Essays in honour of Arnold Cooper, (pp. 111-119).
• Blaney, P. H., Krueger, R. F., Millon, T. (Eds.). (2014). Oxford textbook of psychopathology (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Kernberg, O. F. (2009). Narcissistic personality disorders: Part 1[Editorial]. Psychiatric Annals, 39(3), 105–107, 110, 164–166.
• Horowitz, M. (2009). Clinical phenomenology of narcissistic pathology. Psychiatric Annals, 39(3), 124–128.
• Pincus, A. L., & Roche, M. J. (2011). Narcissistic grandiosity and narcissistic vulnerability. In W. K. Campbell & J. D. Miller (Eds.), The handbook of narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder: Theoretical approaches, empirical findings, and treatments (pp. 31–40). John Wiley & Sons.
• Wink, P. (1991). Two faces of narcissism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61(4), 590–597 Personality Couch Links Website https://www.personalitycouch.com/ Blog https://www.personalitycouch.com/blog/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/personalitycouch/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/personalitycouch #mentalhealthpodcast #mentalhealthprofessionals #mentalhealth #narcissisticpersonality #narcissism #narcissist #narcissitic #personalitydisorder #personality #personalitypsychology #narcissisticabuse #narcissismawareness #bpd #borderline #borderlinepersonalitydisorder #borderlinepersonality #toxicrelationships #vulnerablenarcissism #grandiose #covertnarcissist #overtnarcissist

In this episode of the Personality Couch Podcast, we (licensed clinical psychologists Doc Bok and Doc Fish) delve into the complexities of narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). We explore the historical origins of narcissism, the DSM criteria for diagnosing NPD, and the key characteristics of individuals with this disorder, including a lack of empathy and pervasive envy. Our conversation highlights the roots, characteristics, and the dual nature of narcissism, as well as the challenges in researching NPD. We highlight characteristics such as grandiose self-importance, the need for excessive admiration, and the interpersonal exploitation that can occur in relationships. We also give a preview on the vulnerable aspects of narcissism, highlighting how it can manifest as low self-esteem and social withdrawal, a topic that will be discussed in an upcoming episode!

Chapters 00:00 Intro to Narcissistic Personality Disorder 01:07 Historical Context of Narcissism 06:02 Defining Narcissistic Personality Disorder 09:32 First Symptom: Lack of Empathy 10:52 NPD vs Autism 14:24 Second Symptom: Envy 15:46 Third Symptom: Fantasies of Success, Power, Beauty 16:33 Fourth Symptom: Grandiosity 17:55 Fifth Symptom: The Need for Specialness 20:54 Sixth Symptom: Excessive Admiration 22:22 Seventh Symptom: Entitlement 24:17 Eighth Symptom: Exploitation in Relationships 26:25 Ninth Symptom: Arrogance and Haughty Attitudes 27:37 Vulnerable Narcissism

References:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5-TR (5th edition, text revision.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787 Blaney, P. H., Krueger, R. F., Millon, T. (Eds.). (2014). Oxford textbook of psychopathology (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Blashfield, R. K., & Intoccia, V. (2000). Growth of literature on the topic of personality disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 157(3), 472-473.
• Millon, T. (2011). Disorders of personality: Introducing a DSM / ICD spectrum from normal to abnormal (3rd edition). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
• South, S. C., Eaton, N. R., & Krueger, R. F. (2011). Narcissism in official psychiatric classification systems: Toward DSM-5. In Campbell, W. K. & Miller, J. D. (Eds.), The handbook of narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder: Theoretical approaches, empirical findings, and treatments (pp. 22-30). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118093108.ch3

In this episode of the Personality Couch Podcast, we (licensed clinical psychologists Doc Bok and Doc Fish) unpack the 5 major signs of pathological narcissism, as well as 3 bonus invisible signs of narcissism. We explore warning signs of pride, superiority, vanity, and inauthenticity (among others!), providing insights into how these traits manifest in behavior and relationships. We also explore how anger and lack of empathy manifest. We end the episode by discussing vulnerable narcissistic themes that are less observable, like emptiness, helplessness, and low self-esteem. Our discussion highlights everyday narcissism, as well as darker aspects of it, including antisocial and murderous examples of such.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Pathological Narcissism 01:28 Defining Pathological Narcissism 04:55 Sign 1 of Pathological Narcissism: Pride & Self-Righteousness 07:06 Defining Defensive Self-Sufficiency 08:45 Vigilante Narcissism 10:45 Sign 2 of Pathological Narcissism: Superiority & Inferiority 13:20 Specialness & Entitlement 16:50 Sign 3 of Pathological Narcissism: Vanity & Inauthenticity 19:23 Sign 4 of Pathological Narcissism: Anger & Contempt 22:45 Sign 5 of Pathological Narcissism: Decreased Empathy & Callousness 26:12 Invisible Signs of Pathological Narcissism (Vulnerable Narcissism) 32:44 Summary and Closing

References:

• Blaney, P. H., Krueger, R. F., Millon, T. (Eds.). (2014). Oxford textbook of psychopathology (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
• McWilliams, N. (2011). Psychoanalytic diagnosis: Understanding personality structure in the clinical process (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.