Narcissism and Psychopathy: Antisocial Behaivor: Degrees of Personality or Mental Disorder?

This is the first in a series of three articles examining the relationship between narcissism and psychopathy and the differing opinions of the experts as to whether antisocial personality is extreme narcissism or if psychopathy is something very distinct and discernible.

Cluster B Personality Disorders

Before examining the relationship between the antisocial and the narcissistic personality, it is important to first understand how clinical psychologists diagnostically define pathological narcissism and antisocial behavior.

Both Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) are grouped together in a cluster of loosely-related personality disorders, all defined by dramatic, emotional or erratic behavior. These Cluster B Personality Disorders include Antisocial PD, Narcissistic PD, Borderline PD and Histrionic PD.

What Is Narcissistic PD?

The DSM-IV-TR, a manual that psychologists use to diagnose NPD and other mental disorders, defines NPD is a type of psychological personality disorder primarily characterized by:

Additional characteristics the DSM associates with the pathologically narcissistic include:

What Is Antisocial PD?

According to the DSM-IV-TR, in order to be diagnosed with APD, a patient must have a persistent history of disregard for and violation of the others’ rights, occurring since age 15, evidenced by three (or more) of the following seven traits:

Even according to diagnostic criteria, the pathologically narcissistic and those with antisocial personalities share many traits that are broadly related to selfishness and lack of empathy.

Based on the DSM definition, Antisocial PD is primarily differentiated from NPD by the psychopaths' willingness to use physical violence, whereas narcissists are believed to rarely commit crimes.

Can One Be a Little Psychopathic?

Many experts assert that there are individuals who should be considered psychopaths even if they never get in trouble with the law. Martin Kantor’s “psychopaths of everyday life,” Robert Hares “subcriminal psychopaths,” Donald Black’s “successful bad boys;” Hervey Cleckly’s “mild psychopaths,” are examples of the perspective that there are degrees of psychopathy.

So should individuals who exhibit psychopathic traits be considered psychopaths? Or, as according to the DSM, is psychical aggressiveness a hallmark of the Antisocial Personality? If so, how do we categorize these nonviolent, noncriminal (or at least 'non-caught') psychopaths? Are they an extreme example of narcissistic personality or is psychopathy biologically distinct?

More Information on Psychopathy, Malignant Narcissism & Narcissism

This article is a summary of antisocial and narcissistic traits and disorders. The contents of this article are not meant to be a substitute for professional help and counseling.

Sources

American Psychiatric Association APA (2000) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR).

Hare, Robert (1999) Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of Psychopaths Among Us. Guilford Press.

Kantor, Martin (2006) The Psychopathy of Everyday Life: How Antisocial Personality Disorder Affects All of Us. Praeger Publishers.

Kernberg, Otto and Akhtar, Salman. (2003) Broken Structures: Severe Personality Disorders and Their Treatment.

Sep 29, 2009 8:04 AM

Guest :

my husband cheated on me and his actions, lack of empathy toward me (except when it was to his benefit for social purposes) and his repeated pattern of behaviours, the lying and manipulation of turning it around to my fault and not accepting responsibility for his actions has me questioning if I was living with a sociopath without the physical violence. He was very aggressive in his speech toward me when asked anything, just simply what do you want for dinner would cause an angry outburst that I'd just walk away from. Things have since gotten worse and I believe honestly in his mind he has justified all his actions to his advantage. We just never know really who we are with do we? Is it possible to have a marriage and be living with someone who is a sociopath?

Oct 19, 2009 8:00 AM

Guest :

Yes!Absolutely!I am currently living with and trying to help my nephew,who is a sociopath that has been diagnosed many times.Most people love him and are absolutely charmed by him.He is handsome, has a ton of girlfriends,has a way with words and is also bright and athletically gifted.He is also a drug addict, violent when it suits him,a thief who steals mostly from people who trust him and has been in and out of juvenile jails for years.Now that he is 18,I expect adult jail to be next.I will never forget visiting him in juvenile and discovering that he was being given constant special priveleges by the staff,one of them after another assuring me how well he was doing and how he was somehow so much better that the other inmates.Them I was given a stack of behavior issue slips to sign that stated he had bullied other inmates,stolen from and defied staff.I just shook my head.I understand how they could say that ,having lived with him.I love him very much and I worry about him and try to help him even though I know that he is not really going to change. So,yes ,you can be in a relationship of any kind with a sociopath. they are often gifted at drawing people to them.Just so you know,I am trying to set a deadline for kicking my nephew out of my house.I know I will have to be responsible for ending this situation,I just fell very bad because his mother(my sister) cannot care for him.