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

In a time when flaunting your best self on social media has become a norm, narcissistic traits seem to be everywhere.

Flexing, off-putting behaviors like entitlement, superiority, and self-congratulating are still seen as pathological personality trait.

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

For a long time, it was not clear why a person with a high IQ would engage in unpleasant behaviors, such as self-congratulation. According to clinical psychologist Pascal Wallisch from New York University, the work they did shows that these people are not grandiose.

The results suggest that narcissism is better understood as an adaptation to overcome and cover up low self-worth.

There are two different types of narcissists, vulnerable and grandiose.

The research helps to untangle the two.

The team found that people with high levels of self-esteem and sense of guilt were more likely to flex their muscles. Those with psychopathy had low levels of guilt.

Narcissists deal with their insecurities by flexing. This makes others like them less in the long run, thus making them more vulnerable, which leads to a vicious cycle of flexing behaviors.

This is in contrast to individuals who believe in themselves and do not display signs of being nervous. The difference between the two is more than just a category distinction.

The team wrote in their paper that what was previously seen as grandiose narcissism is actually better understood as one behavioral symptom of psychopathy.

They acknowledge that more research is needed in a more diverse population. The findings are in line with a small study from last year in which brain scans of men who were shown a photo of themselves showed emotional distress and conflict.

There are conflicting studies about whether or not a person is a narcissist, so we can arrive at a better understanding of their behaviors by defining them more precisely.

The way we write can be seen reflected in our society because of the increased focus on individualism.

These shifts have been measured by researchers. The endorsement rate for the statement "I am an important person" has increased from 12 to 80 percent in adolescents.

flaunting ourselves on social media is something many of us do, collectively,forming and feeding insecurities about not fitting in. We are hardwired into these behaviors as a social species.

While narcissists are notoriously great at using social media, the new paper suggests that an increase in such behaviors makes sense within the framework we propose.

Next time you think someone is self-importance, it might be worth thinking about how they are just...

The research was published in a journal.

The first version of this article was published in April 2021.