Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

America’s Crash Course in Narcissism 101

By Joy Tiz
Monday, January 25, 2010

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV-TR) is the diagnostic manual used by mental health professionals. A diagnosis of narcissism requires five out of nine characteristics. Note these traits must endure overtime and must not be reactions to a particular situation or environmental stressor:

1. Grandiose sense of self-importance.
2. Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, beauty, or ideal love.
3. Sense of specialness, belief he can only be understood by or should associate only with other special or high-status individuals or institutions.
4. Need for excessive admiration.
5. Heightened sense of entitlement, leading to unreasonable expectations that others should treat him especially favorably or comply automatically with his expectations.
6. Tendency to be interpersonally exploitive. A person with NPD does not hesitate in taking advantage of others to meet his own ends.
7. Lack of empathy, an inability or unwillingness to recognize or identify with the feelings or needs of others.
8. An envy of other people, or conversely, a belief that other people envy him.
9. A tendency toward arrogant behavior or attitude.

In his essay on Obama’s narcissism, Sam Vaknin references Obama’s haughty body language and condescending attitude. Vaknin also points out Obama’s “emotion free language.â€