Narcissistic Personality Disorder (vs. narcissism)

[rxtravaganza]

This thread is so helpful. Thank you so much to everyone who has told their stories in it, and dookeye, for starting it with such a thorough detailing.

So many of the things you're all saying form pieces of my experience with a NPD father (malignant narcissist sounds about right), with whom I recently cut off contact. Since doing so I feel a sense of freedom and confidence like I've never had before, and it's very transformative.

What scares me now is what I inherited from this cycle. I learned a lot from the co-narcissism article that Paul read (and I saved and sent to my mother and sister), and my counsellor assures me that the mere fact that I fret over being NPD too is an indicator against that, but I know I picked up some nasty habits as off-shoots: smugness, contemptuousness, guile, stonewalling and occasionally a superior attitude. I feel like it's some poison my father left in my that I'm trying to purge out.

You are all amazing. Hugs for everyone!

[Jay Dub]

[quote]Includes five or more of the following characteristics:

Is grandiose in evaluation of self without demonstrating superior achievements
Concentrates on fantasies of great success, influence, intelligence, beauty or perfect love
Believes in own "specialness" and expects to associate with high prestige people or institutions
Demands to be overly admired
Feels entitled to special treatment and to have demands acceded to
Exploits others to achieve own ends
Lacks empathy for others
Frequently envious of others or assumes others are envious of him or her
Is arrogant in attitudes and behavior
/quote]

Well this pretty much sums up my immediate supervisor at work....

[Jay Dub]

Can narcissism be directed to one person or a group of people?