Tag: DIAGNOSTICS FOR THERAPISTS AND FORENSIC EVALUATORS

As with most literature on the topics of narcissism, the Diagnostic and Statisti-
cal Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric

Association, shows the diagnostic criteria for 301.81 Narcissistic Personality

Disorder (NPD). This bible for the mental health profession clearly shows us

that narcissists expect to be “catered to” and are “puzzled or furious” when

this does not happen.

In the fourth edition of the DSM-IV-TR, NPD has been recognized as a

separate mental health disorder and not just a symptom of the personality

problems of a handsome Greek boy named Narcissus who rejected the ro-
mantic advances of the nymph Echo. According to the manual, up to 75% of

narcissists are male and an estimated 0.7–1 percent of the general population

has this disorder. NPD is one of a “family” of personality disorders (formerly

known as the Cluster B group) (DSM-IV-TR, APA2000, pp. 658–661). “Mem-
bers of this group include: Borderline PD, Antisocial PD, and Histrionic PD.

Individuals who have NPD are often diagnosed with other mental health

disorders such as co-morbidity and frequently have a history of substance

abuse, or impulsive and reckless behaviors—dual diagnosis” (Vaknin, 2003a,

p. 21).

Unadulterated Arrogance 419

NPD is also associated with Anorexia Nervosa and Substance-Related

Disorders (such as cocaine and opiate use). Just as Anorexics will hide their

disorder, so too will NPAs conceal from a mental health professional past illicit

drug use, associated medical records, criminal background, their histories of

sexual infidelity, perverted pornography, or minimize any verbal and physical

abuse they have perpetrated in the past toward the target parent or others

during a divorce or post-divorce litigation evaluation involving children.

There is a surefire disparity between having a narcissistic personality and

style and being diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The DSM-
IV meticulously explains NPD and adheres to strict criteria and differential

diagnoses:

Narcissism is regarded by many scholars to be an adaptive strategy

(‘healthy narcissism’). It is considered pathological in the clinical sense

only when it becomes a rigid personality structure replete with a series

of primitive defense mechanisms (such as splitting, projection, Projective

Identification, or intellectualization)—and when it leads to dysfunctions

in one or more areas of life. (Vaknin, 2003a, pp. 369–373)

For example, narcissists and parental alienators recurrently mislead the

inexperienced professional with erroneous false statements that the target

parent or their new spouse has threatened to do some harm to the child(ren).

As severely alienated child(ren) often willfully confirm alleged “abuse,” after

experiencing both subtle and overt long-term repetitive negative indoctrina-
tion by a NPA. These children and the alienator’s brainwashed family may

allege abuse or threats that did not occur with little or no remorse and at

the expense of the innocent victims, thereby adding to the perverted glory

of the alienating parent, so often viewed as a “savior.” An alienator set on

destruction eventually forgoes the protections of their position. It is widely

regarded that “falsely accusing parents were much more likely than were the

other two groups to have a personality disorder such as histrionic, borderline,

passive-aggressive, or paranoid” (Underwager & Wakefield, 1990).

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