The narcissistic personality disorder is a disorder characterized by a core of deep inadequacy And non -Amabilitywho leads the person to experience a sense of precarious self -esteem and the implementation of constant emotional regulation strategies research Of Attention, admiration And he confirms by others.
Historically the narcissistic personality disorder has always been associated with the manifestation of grandeur, superiorityexcessive security and self-exaltation (Kaufman et al., 2020).
To maintain a positive self -image, the person feeds hypertrophic self -esteem, he shows himself dominant, euphoric and self -sufficient, proof of contempt for others, perceives distance compared to the rest of humanity and feels part of a restricted elitist circle, the “group of the best” (weight loss et al., 2007).
This description corresponds to a specific declination of the narcissistic disorder, attributable to the phenotype called, in fact, great.
Vulnerable narcissism
However, there is another possible manifestation of this disorder, which is identified as a phenotype vulnerable (Pincus and Roche, 2012). The vulnerable narcissist, completely subjecting his self -esteem to the relational context and to the social feedback received (manifesting the so -called contingent self -esteem). It appears more insecure, hypersensitive to the judgment of others and inclined to experiment with states of anxiety, alarm and hyper-video.
As pointed out by Pincus and Roche (2012), the person’s tendency to perceive threats to the image of himself is closely linked to the presence of lived of vulnerability.
The grandiose and vulnerable narcissism do not consist of two distinct disorders, but represent two different ways of expression of a personological functioning ascribable to the same diagnostic category.
Form grandiose and vulnerable one of narcissism have a series of common elements including the need for admiration, to strengthen one’s self -esteem, grandiose fantasies, feeling that everything is due, arrogance, polemical eloquium, lack of empathy, exploitation of others and tendency to manipulation.
Differences in the style of coping
Starting from a nucleus of inadequacy and non -amiability, grandiose and vulnerable narcissists adopt different coping strategies to manage the most difficult emotional experiences.
As highlighted by Krizan and Herlache (2018), individuals who have grandiose narcissistic operation tend to have a style of coping oriented to the approach, to achieve self-exaltation objectives and the performance of a dominant and haughty attitude. While subjects with vulnerable narcissistic functioning tend to have a conservative style oriented towards self-protection, the manifestation of attack-buga reactions, theavoidance of potentially threatening situations in which they do not feel safe and emotional suppression (Loeffler et al., 2020).
Furthermore, while grandiose narcissists tend to resort to problem solving, in line with the refusal of a negative vision of the self, vulnerable narcissists are more inclined to the ruminationespecially an angry and depressive type.
Threat to self -image: Egotism Threatened Theory
Given the precariousness of one’s personal value, which determines a continuous search for confirmation in terms of admiration and appreciation by others, people with narcissistic personality disorder appear particularly sensitive to threats received to their sense of ego.
There Theory of threatened Augoticism argues that, in the face of a negative assessment or a refusal, a profound is generated ego wound which must be promptly healed (Bushman and Baumeister, 1998).
To support this theory, the authors have conceived a research firm in which the participants were subjected to a trial by an external critic, responsible for evaluating the drafting of an essay produced by the participants themselves in search.
The results show that, among the sample subjects, people with Narcissistic personality disorder they showed themselves significantly more aggressive with respect to non -narcissists towards their opponents in response to the criticism received. Aggressiveness would therefore be an action strategy aimed at restoring a sense of self unrealistically positive and apparently solid, associated with the refusal of negative information coming from the outside.
Aggression and narcissism: different meanings and manifestations
To learn more about these aspects Fjermestad-Noll et al. (2020) conducted a recent exploratory study, investigating and highlighting the presence of a relationship between perfectionism, shame And aggression In depressed patients with diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorders.
In particular, to explain this report, the authors hypothesize a sequence according to which the high level of perfectionism would make i Narcissist patients susceptible to experiences of negative judgment on the part of others, elicit intense experiences of shame. This emotion, being of difficult management, could trigger manifestations of aggressionboth physical and verbal.
However, although the need to restore the sense of self -threatened self and the reaction strategy marked by aggression are transversal to all the narcissistic spectrum, grandiose narcissism and vulnerable narcissism seem to underline different thrusts at the basis of this event.
Those who have grandiose narcissistic operation seem to adopt aggressive responses with the aim of restoring dynamics of power, dominance and superiority. In this sense it would be a form of aggression proactive e instrumentaldefinable as a strategy of self-enancement aimed at restoring the threatened social status (Fossati et al., 2010), rather than an instinctive reaction led by anger.
The grandiose narcissism would be related only to physical aggression (Krizan & Johar, 2015; Okada, 2010), while the feelings of anger, carried out following the provocations suffered, seem to be attributable to the narcissistic function of vulnerable type.
In particular, as underlined by further studies (Ghim et al., 2015), the association between vulnerable narcissism and aggression would be mediated by factors such as internalized shame And angry rumination. The shame is, in fact, one of the predominant emotions of the vulnerable narcissistic function and, when mobilized by the narcissistic wound, it can elaborate intense experiences of irritability, hostility, resentment and Arousal connected to anger.
Clinical repercussions
On the basis of these evidence, within a therapeutic path, the phase of investigation and understanding of the functional meaning that can assume aggressive behavior manifested within the narcissistic personality disorder, also in line also with the different phenotype manifested, appears very important.
This in -depth understanding of the patient’s internal experience is essential to imprint therapeutic interventions that take into account the different value that the same behavior can assume, to help the person connect with their frustrated needs and implement more functional alternative strategies.
Bibliography
- Bushman, BJ, & Baumeister, RF (1998). Threatened Egotism, Narcissism, Self-Esteem, and Direct and Displaced Aggression: Does Self-Love or Self-Hate Lead to Violence?. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology75 (1), 219.
- Dimaggio, G., Petrilli, D., Fiore, D., & Mancioppi, S. (2007). The narcissistic personality disorder: the diseasedella great life. In G. Dimaggio & A. Semerari “The personality disdrurbs. Models and treatment” V edition (pp. 161-200). Laterza Editori.
- Fossati, A., Borroni, S., Eisenberg., N, & Maffei, C. (2010). Relations of Proactive and Reactive dimensions of Aggression to Overt and Cover Narcissism in Nonclinical teenches. Aggressive behavior. 36 (1), 21-7.
- Fjermestad-Noll, J., Ronningstam, E., Bach, BS, Rosenbaum, B., & Simonen, E. (2020). Perfectationism, Shame, and Attagression in Depressive Patients with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Journal of Personalities Disorders34 (Supplement), 25-41.
- Ghim, Sc, Choi, DH, Lim, JJ, & Lim, SM (2015). The Relationship Bethaeen Cover Narcissism and Relational Aggression in Adolescents: Mediating Effects of Internalized Shame and Angers Rumination. International Journal of Information and Education Technology5 (1), 21
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- Krizan, Z., & Johar, O. (2015). Narcissistic Rage Revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology108 (5), 784.
- Krizan, Z., & Herlache, AD (2018). The Narcissism Spectrum Model: A Synthetic View of Narcissistic Personality. Personality and Social Psychology Review22 (1).
- Loeffler, Lak, Huebben, Ak, Radke, S., Habel, U., & Derntl, B. (2020). The Association Bethaeen Vulnerable/grandiose Narcissism and Emotion Regulation. Frontiers in Psychology11.
- Okada, R. (2010). The Relationship Bethaeen Vulnerable Narcissism and Aggression in Japanese Undergraduate Students. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(2), 113-118.
- Pincus, Al, Ansell, EB, Pimentel, Ca, Cain, Nm, Wright, AGC, & Kn Levy. (2009). Initial Construction and Validation of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory. Psychological Assessment21 (3), 365-379.
- Pincus, Al, & Roche, MJ (2012). Narcissistic grandization and narcissistic vulnerability. The Handbook of Narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder31-40.
