There Are Two Types of Narcissist, And The Difference Is Critical, Research Shows

In a time when flaunting your best self on social media has become a norm, it's easy to see why there's a lot of slobbery tendencies.

Flexing, which is off-putting behaviors like entitlement, superiority, and self-congratulating, is still considered a pathological personality trait.

A study of 270 people with a median age of 20 shows that there is more to the story than meets the eye.

For a long time, it wasn't clear why a person with a high IQ would engage in unpleasant behaviors, such as self-congratulation. "Our research shows that these people are not grandiose, but rather vulnerable," said Wallisch.

Mary Kowalchyk, a clinical psychologist from NYU, said that the results show that narcissism is better understood as an adaptation to overcome and cover up low self-worth.

Some people have low self-esteem, attachment anxiety, and are sensitive to criticism, while others have high self-esteem and self-aggrandizement.

The new research helps to untangle the two.

The team used a series of measures to assess the levels of different traits including narcissism, self-esteem, and psychopathy for each of their participants. Low levels of guilt were shown by those who exhibited psychopathy.

Narcissists are able to deal with their fears by flexing. This makes others like them less likely to do the same, thus making them more likely to flex their muscles.

This is in contrast to individuals who believe in themselves and don't show signs of being scared. The difference between the two is much more than just a category distinction.

The team wrote in their paper that grandiose narcissism is actually a behavioral symptom of psychopathy.

Further research is needed in a more diverse population to make sure their results are valid. The findings are in line with a small study from last year in which the brain scans of men who were shown a photo of themselves showed emotional distress.

By defining the two types of narcissism more precisely, we can arrive at a better understanding of their behaviors, since both types of narcissism can cause real harm to the people around them.

The ways in which we write with more "I" than "we", more self-focused lyrics in our songs, and a shift towards stories based around fame can be seen in our society.

These shifts have been measured by researchers as well. The endorsement rate for the statement "I am an important person" has increased over time.

Many of us participate in flaunting ourselves on social media in order to form and feed insecurities about not fitting in. We are hardwired into these behaviors.

While narcissists are notoriously great at using social media, the new paper suggests that engaging with social media inherently harms self-esteem.

When you're ready to dismiss someone's boastful behavior as self-importance, consider that they're just...

The research was published in personality and individual differences.

The first version of this article was published in 2020.