Have you ever known someone who thought they were the greatest person alive, or someone who has a blatant disregard for authority? Well, the chances are these people have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) or antisocial personality disorder (ASPD).
“Interestingly, ASPD & Narcissistic PD are commonly coexisting or dual diagnosed”(personalitydisorders.suite101.com).
The reason for this dual diagnoses is because the similarities between NPD and ASPD. They share some of the same traits which will be discussed in the following paragraphs. Most commonly is both are very egocentric and have very little if no empathy, which has a lot to do with their lack of friends and relationships. They also tend to be pathological liars and in most cases do whatever it takes to reach their goals, whether it be personal gain or to achieve a feeling of superiority.
What Is egocentric? “Having or regarding the self or the individual as the center of all things, having little or no regard for interests, beliefs, or attitudes other than one’s own; self-centered” (Dictionary.com).
What is narcissism? Inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity, erotic gratification derived from admiration of one’s own physical or mental attributes, being a normal condition at the infantile level of personality development (Dictionary.com).
Both PDs present extreme egocentricity to the exclusion of others. They believe they are the smartest, the most attractive, most influential, and thus “better” than anyone else. Others fall into a 2nd class position and consequently the PDs believe that they are entitled (personalitydisorders.suite101.com).. The reason narcissistic people are egocentric is because they actually feel inferior in cretin situations, and in order to not feel this way or to bring harm to their self the create a mental pseudo of themselves. This is a form of protection or a defense mechanism, the way they do this is by bringing everyone else around them down. Narcissist put them self in a class above the norm regardless of their reality, they could have no job and live off someone else and still say I am better than someone who has career and a house, they completely distort reality to relief themselves of the pain it would bring them. They tend to be loud and picky and will embarrass others in public for their own enjoyment. And if they are in an intimate relationship the will belittle their significant other. They will do this as a way to control them they will make their significant other feel as if their family is the enemy, so there is no one to tell them what is really going on.
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ter> Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites Please read CAREFULLY! The text in italics is NOT based on the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual, Fourth Edition (1994). the text in italics IS based on "Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited" (1999) An all-pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behaviour), need for admiration or adulation and lack ...
They feel entitlement and respect that is not deserved, and that others should be lucky to be around them. People with antisocial personality disorder also have a superiority complex, they believe they are the smartest and that others are not equal to them. They are usually friendless and only have one or two family members that will put up with them. They think because they know so much people are out to get them. They too will be little others for self gratification purposes in order to avoid reality. The fact is these types of people usually are inferior, they cannot hold a decent job do not have many friends and cannot maintain a relationship. And not to feel the pain of this reality they create a self image that is everything they are not. Even though deep down they want to be accepted and they want love and friendship they avoid reality at all cost.
What is empathy? The intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another, the imaginative ascribing to an object, as a natural object or work of art, feelings or attitudes present in oneself Dictionary.com).
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Those affected by narcissism and antisocial personality disorder have no empathy or lack of. They have fake empathy in order to get from others (what can you do for me).
Some very rich and important people, or higher IQ individuals tend to display this. They cannot grasp what others feel or imagine what they could be going through. It’s this lack of empathy that also hinders them from having relationships whether it be platonic or intimate. Narcissists are not only selfish they seem to have to make a point of not giving what they know someone else wants. For instance, in a intimate relationship, they will want you to do what they want because they want it and not because you want it but, if you actually want to do what they want, then that’s too much like sharing and you wreck their fun and they don’t want it anymore. They want to get what they want from you without giving you what you want from them period. If you should happen to want to give what they want to get, then they’ll lose interest in you. “Like narcissists, psychopaths lack empathy and regard other people as mere instruments of gratification and utility or as objects to be manipulated. Psychopaths and narcissists have no problem to grasp ideas and to formulate choices, needs, preferences, courses of action, and priorities. But they are shocked when other people do the very same. Consequently, psychopaths feel no remorse when they hurt or defraud others. They don’t possess even the most rudimentary conscience. They rationalize their (often criminal) behavior and intellectualize it. Psychopaths fall prey to their own primitive defense mechanisms (such as narcissism, splitting, and projection).
The psychopath firmly believes that the world is a hostile, merciless place, prone to the survival of the fittest and that people are either “all good” or “all evil”. The psychopath projects his own vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and shortcomings unto others and force them to behave the way he expects them to (this defense mechanism is known as “projective identification”).
Like narcissists, psychopaths are abusively exploitative and incapable of true love or intimacy” (personalitydisorders.suite101.com).
What is a pathological liar? An individual who habitually tells lies so exaggerated or bizarre that they are suggestive of mental disorder (Dictionary.com).
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Both personality disorders exhibit pathological lying, they do this in order to gain something. It may be financial or personal but, they manipulate the conversation to get something out of it. ” While this type of lying can be present in other psychiatric disorders, they are most prevalent in the APD and the NPD. The hallmark of the APD is lacking conscience. They’re exploitive, have no regard for others’ feelings and lie repeatedly. The hallmarks of the NPD are a sense of entitlement and grandiosity. They exaggerate their achievements, lack empathy and exploit others.
Treatment for these types of liars must begin with addressing the personality disorders. This includes psychotropic medications and therapy which usually is behavioral and cognitive behavioral. Both therapies focus on changing the behavior of the patient with APD or NPD. Cognitive therapy also identifies and changes dysfunctional thinking and emotional responses.
Therapy requires cooperation from the patient. The problem with this is that treating people with APD and NPD can be difficult because these individuals generally lie to the therapist about taking medications and their behavior. Many people with these conditions routinely fail to recognize their behavior as problematic and are therefore unlikely to seek psychological help. They seem content to continue to lie as long as their egocentric needs are being satisfied. Some NPDs, if committed to changing, can be helped. There is no known effective treatment for the APD” (personalitydisorders.suite101.com).
Pathological liars will also contradict themselves because they don’t remember what lies they tell to who. And when you confront them about the lie they will denied it and tell you that you are the one lying, or that you are crazy.
I believe that the two disorders go hand in hand with each other, and there is a very fine line between them. That is why they are both diagnosed together but, narsisst seem to be a little more social but only to achieve the narrsisstic need. Though they are more social people do not want to be around them because the way they act and the way they treat others. There is no way to gain the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Sympathy is what separates narcissist people from a normal way of thinking and emotions cannot be changed after being conditioned into a person from childhood. When in therapy you will be able to gain a sense of self love and not reflection of love, your perspective may change somewhat but not in a sense of a healthy mind state. But since narcissism is under report and to hard to detect, many people will never receive treatment for their disorder.
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References
Similarities Between Antisocial & Narcissism
Dr. Duane Dobbert Interview: What Do ASPD and NPD Have in Common?
Tami Port: web: Nov 22, 2007
Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 11 Apr. 2010.
