ABSTRACT
Persons high in narcissism are preoccupied about themselves and how others view them. They perceive themselves to be superior to others in physical attractiveness, intelligence, leadership, creativity, wealth, achievement (e.g., sports, academics, business), or other areas. Narcissists tend to be braggarts and assertive extroverts who project dominance, boldness, and fearlessness. Most are viciously competitive, obsessed about winning, and unwilling to accept defeat. Lacking empathy, they are insensitive or dismissive of the perspectives, needs, and feelings of others, as well as the impact of their behavior on others. As seen in this chapter, narcissism and self-esteem share many characteristics, but they are not one and the same. High self-esteem is healthy, but high narcissism is not, as the latter is associated with more negative than positive outcomes, especially when high narcissism constitutes a personality disorder. A brief self-test of narcissism is presented, and factors contributing to narcissism are reviewed. Among those factors are an overly indulgent style of parenting, peers who share and reinforce narcissistic behavior, and the same cognitive and emotional processes commonly found among bullies, liars, and cheats: self-centered and hedonistic moral reasoning; lack of empathy, guilt, and shame; and moral disengagement.
