Some of you may know that, in addition to being a novelist, I’m also a licensed clinical psychologist. In the past, when I’ve told new acquaintances about my professional training, they’ve frequently asked me if I was analyzing them at that very moment. I would typically respond, jokingly, of course, that I was already finished, but one of the primary reasons that I chose clinical psychology as a profession was that I do have a natural inclination to try to analyze the character and motivations of people that I meet.
Of course, in a profession such as clinical psychology, which has its foundation in science, it’s very important for us to share a common technical language in order to be sure that we’re all referring to the same features if we’re discussing a particular disorder. For that reason, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was developed by the American Psychiatric Association in 1952. We currently use the fourth edition, which is known as DSM-IV.
Given the personality features of a number of my characters in The Misadventures of Oliver Booth: Life in the Lap of Luxury, certainly including Mr. Booth himself, I thought it might be interesting to post the DSM-IV criteria for a Narcissistic Personality Disorder:
A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
(1) has a grandiose sense of self-importance
(2) is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
(3) believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people
(4) requires excessive admiration
(5) has a sense of entitlement
(6) is interpersonally exploitative (i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends)
(7) lacks empathy (is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others)
(8) is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her
(9) shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes
It’s not part of the official criteria, but you can also feel pretty sure that you’re dealing with a person with a Narcissistic Personality Disorder if he or she has ever asked the question, “Don’t you know who I am?”
Do you know anybody who might meet these criteria? How about yourself?
David Desmond
