The 9 Types of Narcissism, and How to Easily Recognize Them

Having good self-esteem is important in many aspects of our lives. This factor makes it easier for us to get involved in important projects capable of leading us to improve our quality of life, it makes things easier for us when it comes to socializing, and it helps ensure that crises and small day-to-day defeats do not completely sink us emotionally.

However, like practically any psychological factor linked to personality, excess self-esteem can cause problems… both for oneself and for those around you. When these high levels of self-love turn into narcissism, everything changes.

In this article we will see what are the different types of narcissism and how they can be expressed in a person’s behavior.

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The different types of narcissism (and how to detect them)

We could define narcissism as a psychological predisposition to obtain recognition from others in the form of expressly positive evaluations or indirectly, with especially respectful treatment mixed with admiration.

In addition, narcissistic people are characterized by having other traits that are in line with that expansive self-love: ideas of grandiosity about oneself the predisposition to undervalue other people, and the difficulties when it comes to empathizing, among other things.

It is a personality element that can be present in different degrees of intensity, so the more extreme it is, the more likely it is to fall into one of the symptom groups of a mental disorder. In any case, not all people with a high level of narcissism have a mental disorder that significantly damages their quality of life.

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But in the same way we can find differences in the degrees of intensity of this mental phenomenon , it is also possible to recognize some qualitative differences in the ways in which narcissism is expressed. Specifically, Dr. Bruce Stevens offers a classification of types of narcissism that can help us better understand all the nuances of this element of personality.

1. Dependent

In this case we are not talking about the stereotype of a person who is delighted to have known himself, very happy with who he is and what he can achieve. On the contrary; This type of narcissism is characterized by the desperation with which one seeks validation from others

Thus, these people combine a certain feeling of very subtle superiority, on the one hand, with the realization that this superiority cannot be put into practice, and therefore they need to receive special treatment to compensate for this situation. Their desire to obtain approval from others gives them an obsessive nature.

2. Powerful

It is a type of narcissism focused on demonstrations of power, that is, imposing one’s will on others. Whoever presents it, enjoys subduing those around him

3. Fantasy

These types of narcissists isolate themselves in an imaginary world in which their feelings of greatness correspond to how they see themselves. The tendency to fantasize is, therefore, a way to resolve the inconsistency of feeling special while believing they are mediocre in their specific way of behaving on a daily basis.

4. Focused on the body

This is one of the types of narcissism in which the image projected to others is given the most importance. Specifically, all attention is focused on valuing one’s own body, and the way in which corresponds to certain canons of beauty

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Of course, this appreciation for aesthetics is also reflected in the need to receive compliments and praise on a regular basis.

5. Trickster

This category includes people who They feel good about themselves by feeling skilled when trying to deceive others in exchange for personal benefit. It is a type of narcissism that has much in common with typically psychopathic traits.

6. Lover

It is a type of narcissism oriented towards couple life and love. In this case, unreasonable expectations about what the relationship with another person should be makes it very easy to enter a crisis.

The love bond is idealized since it is maintained that one’s love is a special love, and that is why, when problems appear, a constructive mentality is not adopted towards them.

7. Savior

The person sees himself as someone capable of transforming lives and, specifically, of educating other people to fit into a way of being that fits one’s own personality.

8. Furious

In this case, the person has a very low frustration threshold when you detect that you have been disrespected or that you have not been treated with due diligence. As a result, unjustified outbursts of anger are common.

Their social life is usually very eventful because any situation of ambiguity can lead to problems.