N.P.D.

Narcissist Personality Disorder is recognized by the DSM-IV and characterized by 9 criteria:

1. has a grandiose sense of self-importance

2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, beauty, or ideal love

3. believes they are is 'special' and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people

4. requires excessive admiration

5. feels an entitlement with unreasonable expectations of favorable treatment

6. is interpersonally exploitative

7. lacks empathy: is unwilling to identify with the feelings and needs of others

8. is envious of others or believes that others are envious of him

9.arrogant, haughty behavior

Human infants assume they are the center of their universe. When the baby realizes that it does not control its parents, it gives up its fantasy of being all-powerful and becomes emotionally attached to its parents. N.D.P. is a condition in which the infant does not invest its emotions in its parents but rather, redirects them back to itself.

Narcissists surround themselves with codependents, as they tend to work beyond healthy limits to do whatever the narcissist needs. Narcissists crave power, codependents crave security. Codependent patterns of behavior include:

-Perfectionism
-Manipulation
-Lack of trust
-Lying
-Avoiding decision making and confrontation
-External referencing
-Subordinating one's needs to those of the narcissist

"Nancy had a history of intense but short-term relationships with others. Because of her N.P.D., Nancy couldn't sustain any genuinely intimate relationships."

"Suffering from N.D.P., Brian projected all his negative feelings into his friend Phil. By greatly exaggerating and publicizing Phil's minor failures and greatly understating and ignoring Phil's successes, Brian was able to feel better about himself."

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