3 Types of Narcissists Everyone Has Encountered
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“They’re such a narcissist.” That’s a classic go-to phrase for describing a co-worker who takes all the credit, your ex who can’t stop looking in the mirror, or your sibling who craves admiration. While it’s easy to toss around this term to refer to anyone who seems full of themselves, narcissistic personality disorder is actually a rare condition. Yet many people—maybe even you!—exhibit some narcissistic characteristics.
Narcissism is a spectrum, and there are several types of narcissists, says Michael Roeske, PsyD, senior director of the Newport Healthcare Center for Research and Innovation. “We all possess aspects of narcissism. I think of it in terms of a bell curve, with most of us residing in the middle. Then, you have at the end what we might call pathological degrees of narcissism.”
Individuals with high levels of narcissism often need to be the center of attention, have a high sense of self-importance, or feel that the rules don’t apply to them, Roeske explains.
“Narcissism is an excess of self-regard and not enough compassion for others,” says Sudhir Gadh, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist with a private practice in New York City. “We want to be able to practice self-care and value to the self, as well as have consideration for the welfare and well-being of others. That’s symbiosis. Narcissism is an imbalance of that.”
Behaviors can be complex, though, and many different personality traits can be considered narcissistic. Here’s a deeper look at the types of narcissists.
What is narcissism?
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder that according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) includes several characteristics:
Patterns of grandiose self-importance
Exaggerated sense of talent and achievement
Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited sex, power, brilliance, or beauty
Strong need for attention and admiration
Indifference or feelings of rage, humiliation, or emptiness in response to criticism, indifference, or defeat
Sense of entitlement
Taking advantage of others to achieve their needs
Lacking empathy
Envy of others or a belief that others are envious of them
Arrogance
NPD is rare. It affects up to just 6 percent of the population, and most of those diagnosed are men. Someone can display narcissistic behaviors but not have NPD, though, Roeske says, “Typically, personality disorders are defined by their persistent, inflexible, pervasive pattern and have an impact on interpersonal relationships.”
Take a successful athlete, he says: They may be naturally gifted athletically and exude so much confidence that they appear arrogant. But, outside their sport, the athlete is humble and has strong personal relationships. This is a healthy level of narcissism—whereas someone with a personality disorder would be arrogant in all settings.
The term narcissism comes from the Greek myth of Narcissus, a son of a god who tragically falls in love with his own reflection. While the cause isn’t known, narcissism is linked to childhood experiences of neglect, abuse, excessive adoration or criticism from parents, or unrealistic expectations from parents, according to the Mayo Clinic. Genetics and neurobiology also play a role.
“It comes from a place of someone as a child feeling like their worth is contingent on performance or appearance or both,” Dr. Gadh says. “So, you're no good unless you’re performing at a specific level academically or in sports or if you look a certain way, you dress a certain way, you have a certain sort of body.”
What are the types of narcissists?
The DSM-5 outlines three main types of narcissism: overt, covert, and malignant. But several subtypes also exist. Here’s a look at some common types of narcissists:
Overt narcissism
People with overt narcissism, also known as grandiose narcissism, have a high sense of self-esteem, superiority, and entitlement. Overt narcissists may present a “bulletproof” appearance, Dr. Gadh says. But they’re dealing internally with self-esteem issues and sensitivity to criticism.
They’re overly confident and overestimate and overstate their knowledge and abilities. They tend to be impulsive and ignore expert advice. This makes them prone to making bad decisions, which they’ll likely blame on others.
Exploiting others for personal gain and displaying hostility and aggression when challenged are other characteristics. Overt narcissism may cause someone to overestimate their emotional intelligence, studies show.
Research suggests that overt narcissism may be adaptive or maladaptive:
Adaptive narcissism is defined by authority and self-sufficiency. Someone inflates their confidence to protect themselves. They crave authority and prestige and are attracted to leadership roles and careers where they’re in charge.
Maladaptive narcissism is characterized by entitlement, exhibitionism, and being exploitive. Someone believes they’re entitled to take advantage of others, so they try to control and manipulate people and situations. This type is associated with depression, anxiety, aggression, neuroticism, impulse buying, and low empathy.
Covert narcissism
Also known as vulnerable narcissism, covert narcissism seems like the opposite of what you might think of as a narcissist. “It’s someone who quietly believes in their own entitlement and grandiosity but doesn’t really show it,” Dr. Gadh says.
Individuals with covert narcissism often have a low sense of self-worth, crave praise and admiration, and fantasize about being successful. They might blame others for their lack of success and express envy. But, they also have higher levels of emotional intelligence and openness.
Covert narcissism causes hypersensitivity to rejection, social isolation, distrust, anger, and hostility. A 2022 study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences found that people with higher levels of vulnerable narcissism were more likely to fear being laughed at but also more likely to enjoy laughing at others. They tend to avoid situations where they feel vulnerable, shameful, and inferior. Covert narcissism is linked to neuroticism, research shows, as well as depression and paranoia.
Malignant narcissism
Malignant narcissism is thought to be the most severe type. The DSM-5 says it combines NPD and antisocial personality disorder, and people with malignant narcissism may share characteristics with sociopaths and psychopaths. Signs of malignant narcissism include:
Black and white thinking
Obsession with appearances
Sadistic behavior
Fantasies of success
Paranoia
Refusal to take responsibility
Aggression
People living with malignant narcissism have been shown to struggle with anxiety and day-to-day functioning. They may also be prone to substance abuse.
Experts have identified a couple of other types of narcissism, including:
Antagonistic narcissism, considered a subcategory of overt narcissism, is linked with rivalry and competition. Antagonistic narcissism causes people to compete with and take advantage of others, display arrogance, and be disagreeable or argumentative. A 2017 study revealed that people with antagonistic narcissism were less likely to forgive others, and another study found that they were less trusting.
Communal narcissism, another type of overt narcissism, leads someone to value fairness and view themselves as selfless. But their behaviors don’t match these perceptions about themselves, a 2018 study showed. Social power and self-importance drive communal narcissism, with someone expressing moral outrage, describing themselves as generous and empathetic, and reacting strongly to unfairness. But they don’t scrutinize their own behaviors.
How can someone get help for narcissism?
Narcissists rarely recognize that their behaviors are a problem or may even deny exhibiting the behaviors, which they see as a challenge to their identity. That’s why treating narcissism can be difficult. Roeske says people with narcissism often seek treatment for other conditions, like substance abuse or depression.
Psychotherapy is the primary treatment for NPD. But, “if people aren’t terribly interested in change, you’re probably not going to have a whole lot of success,” Roeske adds. “Therapy requires vulnerability and the capacity for reciprocity and reflection. Those are precisely the things that we might characterize as terrifying or intolerable or frustrating for somebody with narcissism to do, and so they'll blow out of treatment or tend to be deceptive.”
If you do recognize the signs of narcissism in yourself and it’s affecting your relationships and ability to function daily, it’s a good idea to reach out to a mental health professional.
Trying to talk to a partner, coworker, or anyone else who you think has narcissism can be a “landmine,” Dr. Gadh says. “The place to start is how great you think they are and how you think they can be even greater. That’s the way to do it. Any other way is an immediate shutdown or blow off.”
Talking to someone with narcissism can be distressing and frustrating, Roeske says. “Arguing about their actions isn't often helpful. The best thing to do is establish boundaries in terms of what you will allow and won't allow. Sometimes people need to emotionally distance themselves, which it's not always the easiest thing to do.”
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