Narcissistic personality disorder facts for kids
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a type of personality disorder. It's when someone is very focused on themselves. They often believe they are better and more important than everyone else. They also expect to be treated in a very special way. This condition is more common in boys and men than in girls and women.
The name "Narcissistic" comes from a story in Greek mythology. A character named Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in the water.
What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
In a book called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, NPD is described as having a "habit of showing off, needing a lot of admiration, and not having empathy". Empathy means understanding and sharing the feelings of others.
For someone to be diagnosed with NPD, these ways of thinking and behaving must have started when they were young adults. They also need to show these traits in many different situations. At least five of these nine signs must be present:
Signs of NPD
- They have a very high sense of self-importance. This means they often boast and expect others to see them as superior.
- They often imagine being extremely successful, powerful, very smart, beautiful, or in perfect love.
- They believe they are special and unique. They think they should only spend time with other high-status people or be part of special groups.
- They need to be admired very often by others.
- They feel they should be treated better than other people. They also think others should do what they want.
- They might use or take advantage of people to get what they want.
- They do not have empathy. This means they struggle to understand or care about the feelings of others.
- They are often envious of other people. Or, they might think that others are envious of them.
- They act in an arrogant way. This means they act like they are more important than others.
See also
In Spanish: Trastorno narcisista de la personalidad para niños
