Key Takeaways
- Narcissistic personality disorder includes symptoms like grandiosity and a lack of empathy.
- The concept of narcissism has roots in ancient mythology and was only recently recognized as a disorder.
- Narcissistic personality disorder was officially named in 1980 in the DSM-III.
Although the current DSM-5 no longer puts personality disorders in their own category, narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is still recognized as an important condition. It is characterized by symptoms including grandiosity, an exaggerated sense of self-importance, and a lack of empathy for others.
Like other types of personality disorders, narcissistic personality disorder involves a long-term pattern of behaviors and thoughts that cause problems in multiple areas, including work, family, and friendships.
An estimated 1% to 6% of adults are thought to have NPD, although many romantic partners, parents, children, family members, co-workers, and friends are also directly affected by loved ones with this disorder as well.
Uncovering the Origins of Narcissistic Personality Disorder
While the concept of narcissism dates back thousands of years, narcissistic personality disorder was only recognized as an illness in the last 50 years. To better understand how psychologists and researchers view NPD, it is essential to take a closer look at how this personality disorder came to be recognized.
Narcissistic personality disorder has its earliest roots in ancient Greek mythology. According to myth, Narcissus was a handsome and proud young man. Upon seeing his reflection on the water for the first time, he became so enamored that he could not stop gazing at his own image. He remained at the water’s edge until he eventually wasted to death.
The concept of excessive self-admiration has been explored by various philosophers and thinkers throughout history. In the past, the idea was known as hubris, a state of extreme arrogance and haughtiness that often involves being out of touch with reality.
It wasn’t until fairly recently that the notion of narcissism as a disorder became a subject of scientific interest in the field of psychology.
During the early 1900s, the topic of narcissism began to attract interest in the growing school of thought known as psychoanalysis. Austrian psychoanalyst Otto Rank published one of the earliest descriptions of narcissism in 1911, in which he connected it to self-admiration and vanity.
Freud and the Psychoanalytic View of Narcissism
In 1914, the famous Sigmund Freud published a paper titled, On Narcissism: An Introduction. Freud proposed a rather complicated set of ideas in which he suggested that narcissism is connected to whether one’s libido, the energy lying behind each person’s survival instincts, is directed inward toward one’s self, or outward toward others. He said infants directed all of their libido inward, a state he referred to as primary narcissism.
In Freud’s model, there was a fixed amount of libido, and to the degree the energy was directed outward toward others, it diminished the amount available to one’s self. An important part of Freud’s theory is the idea that this love of one’s self could be transferred to another person or object. By “giving away” this love, Freud suggested people experienced diminished primary narcissism. He also believed receiving love and affection in return was vital to replenishing this capacity to love and maintaining a sense of satisfaction.
Freud’s theory of personality also says a person’s sense of self develops as a child interacts with the outside world and begins to learn social norms and cultural expectations. This causes the development of an ego ideal, or a perfect image of oneself the ego strives to attain.
The Recognition of Narcissism as a Disorder
During the 1950s and 1960s, psychoanalysts Otto Kernberg and Heinz Kohut sparked more interest in narcissism with their research. In 1967, Kernberg described “narcissistic personality structure.” He developed a theory of narcissism that suggested three major types: normal adult narcissism, normal infantile narcissism, and pathological narcissism, which can have its own different types.
In 1968, Kohut came to a different understanding of “narcissistic personality disorder” by examining some of Freud’s earlier ideas about narcissism and expanding upon them.
Narcissism played an important role in Kohut’s theory of self-psychology, which suggested narcissism was a normal and essential aspect of development and that difficulties with early “self-object” relationships could lead to challenges in maintaining an adequate sense of self-esteem later in life, contributing to narcissistic disorders.
In 1980, narcissistic personality disorder was officially recognized in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder and criteria were established for its diagnosis. There has been some debate about how to categorize personality disorders in the recent DSM-5, but narcissistic and other personality disorders remain relatively unchanged in their diagnostic criteria from previous editions.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
-
Kacel EL, Ennis N, Pereira DB. Narcissistic Personality Disorder in Clinical Health Psychology Practice: Case Studies of Comorbid Psychological Distress and Life-Limiting Illness. Behav Med. 2017;43(3):156-164. doi:10.1080/08964289.2017.1301875
-
Renger A-B. Narrating Narcissus, reflecting cognition: Illusion, disillusion, “self-cognition” and “love as passion” in Ovid and beyond. Frontiers of Narrative Studies. 2017;3(1):9-32. doi:10.1515/fns-2017-0002
-
Grenyer BFS. Historical overview of pathological narcissism. In: Understanding and Treating Pathological Narcissism. American Psychological Association; 2013:15-26. doi:10.1037/14041-001
-
Cratsley K. Revisiting Freud and Kohut on narcissism. Theory & Psychology. 2016;26(3):333-359. doi:10.1177/0959354316638181
-
Levy KN. The many complexities in treating and studying narcissism. Pragmatic Case Studies in Psychotherapy. 2012;8(3). doi:10.14713/pcsp.v8i3.1774
Additional Reading
-
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses. 5th Edition. 2013.
-
Flanagan LM. The Theory of Self in Psychology. 1996.
-
Kohut, Heinz, The Analysis of the Self. 1971.
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?
Helpful
Report an Error
Other
