Narcissistic Character Disorders

We all know individuals that are a bit self-centered; however, being excessively egocentric may be a sign of a long-standing behavioral problem known as Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Understanding how to identify this issue, the impact of the pathology, and treatments are important to resolution of the issue.

Significance

• Personality disorders are long standing maladaptive behavioral patterns. Being that these elements of behavior impact all areas of life, individuals with these disorders will suffer distress in professional, social, and personal settings.

Prevalence

• It is thought that nearly one percent of the world population has this disorder. In people already in the therapy setting, two to sixteen percent are thought to meet the criteria for this disorder.

Symptoms

• This disorder is when someone has an unreasonable sense of self-importance. Individuals are often so preoccupied with themselves that they lack sensitivity and compassion towards others.

Causes

• This personality disorder is generally thought of as resulting from lack of parental modeling of empathy. This lack of healthy socialization does not allow the child to lose his or her sense of egocentrism.

Treatment

• Generally treatment varies greatly in success and type. Generally cognitive therapies are used and concentrate on the individual's sense of grandeur, hypersensitivity towards evaluation, and lack of empathy.