We have seen People who carry their own charisma and confidence. They walk into a room like they own it. Many admire their confidence, some name it as narcissism. But before using the word 'Narcissism', how many of you actually know the difference between Narcissistic Personality Disorder and healthy confidence ? The line between them is more thinner and complicated than most people realize.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder: It is an official legitimate psychiatric condition listed in DSM-5. It is far beyond self confidence. It is referred as destructive self love. It involves:
- Grandiose sense of self
- Lack of empathy
- Excessive need for admiration
- Exploiting others without guilt
- Inability to handle criticism
This is a deeply ingrained pattern which affects every person in their life.
Confidence:
- They celebrate others without feeling insecure
- Accepts criticism
- Self worth is internal
- Possess empathy
Where it Gets Confusing ?
Narcissists often mimic healthy confidence. But deep inside, they have insecure fragile ego hiding behind a very carefully constructed mask. When the challenges come in life like criticism, failures, rejection, etc. their mask falls and their reaction would be completely disproportionate. That’s the tell.
Confidence builds healthy environment by building up people in and around them whereas Narcissism silently destroys everything it touches. Knowing the difference matters most before using the term.
MBH/DB