You’ve likely heard the term all over Instagram and TikTok.

It’s seen a massive wave in popularity in recent years.

But what exactly do people mean when they say “narcissists”?

To be more accurate, the medical terminology for someone who has been clinically diagnosed with the behaviours I’m going to describe would be said to have “narcissistic personality disorder” or NPD.

More specific details to the question, “What is a narcissist?”

Grandiosity and Exaggerated Self-Importance:

• Believing they are special or unique and deserving of special treatment.
• Exaggerating achievements and talents, often boasting about their abilities.

Need for Admiration and Validation:

• Craving constant admiration and praise from others.
• Expecting others to acknowledge their (often baseless) sense of superiority and meet their needs without question.

Lack of Empathy:

• Difficulty understanding or recognizing the feelings and needs of others.
• Disregarding or dismissing the emotions and experiences of others, unless it benefits them.

Sense of Entitlement:

• Expecting preferential treatment and feeling entitled to special privileges.
• Believing they deserve to have their needs met without having to reciprocate or consider others.

Exploitative Behavior:

• Taking advantage of others to achieve their own goals or desires.
• Manipulating and exploiting others for personal gain without guilt or remorse.

Envy and Jealousy:

• Feeling envious of others’ success, accomplishments, or possessions.
• Reacting with jealousy or resentment when others receive attention or praise.

Arrogance and Haughtiness:

• Displaying an attitude of superiority and looking down on those they perceive as inferior.
• Behaving arrogantly and condescendingly towards others, believing they are better than everyone else.

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Not exactly what you would call a “high-quality” person or someone you’d want to get close to.

There is a lot more nuance here, and I could go on and on, but it’d be best to address this through individual blog posts.

But in a nutshell, when someone asks you, “What is a narcissist?“, you can now tell them:

“A narcissist is someone with a psychological condition where they hold a highly exaggerated sense of their own significance and is extremely difficult, if not possible, to get along with.“

As I said, there’s a lot to NPD, so we’ll continue by exploring themes such as “healing from toxic relationships”, “building healthy relationships”, “breaking the cycle of abuse”, and much more throughout this blog.