Narcissism is on the rise these days, and it’s not just your average over-confident, selfish person. There’s a far more common subset of people who suffer from narcissistic personality disorder than the people that we often read about.
Just like the others, they’re self-absorbed and shallow, but they’re not as confident as their counterparts. They are known as vulnerable narcissists – the most common type of narcissist you’ve never heard of.
Understanding Narcissists
Anyone around you could be suffering from narcissistic personality disorder. It could be your boss, colleague, a family member, or even your life partner. They’re often extremely charming and charismatic. Because of that, they can easily end up in your inner circle, leaving you oblivious to what’s really going on.
These are people that truly believe that they are superior to others. They expect special treatment at all times, they crave attention and admiration, and they need to appear like they are the best. Along with those things, they also lack empathy. This means that they’ll do anything to get what they want, without caring about who gets hurt as a result.
However, not all narcissists are the same. In fact, there are two separate subgroups that have distinct differences from one another. The two categories are grandiose and vulnerable narcissism.
Grandiose
When people speak about toxic behavior from narcissists, they’re usually talking about grandiose narcissists. These people are overly confident, over the top, and always need to make everything about them. For example, they could throw a party for a friend’s birthday and then end up making the whole thing all about them. If their friend confronts them, they’d deny the whole thing.
In addition to that, this subset is more likely to use manipulative tactics and show sociopathic tendencies. They will do these things far more than the vulnerable subgroup. Not only are they extremely devious, but also very intelligent in the way that they get what they want.
Vulnerable
This group is pretty much the opposite of the grandiose group. Whereas grandiose narcissists are extraverted and flamboyant, these people are more introverted. Along with that, they usually end up playing the victim as well as using passive aggression. They’re also less likely to engage in relationships than the grandiose kind is. This is because they can’t find someone who meets their high standards.
Of course, these people also believe that they’re superior. However, they think that the rest of the world is blind to that. They’re extremely hard on themselves and have fragile egos that are sensitive to even the smallest criticism.
Despite their perceived superiority, however, they have difficulty with conflict. They feel the need to win but often can’t do that in a healthy way. One of the most common and devious practices that they use is threatening to harm themselves in order to win an argument.
They’re on The Rise
Vulnerable narcissism is becoming more common these days thanks to the widespread use of social media. These people are considered covert narcissists, meaning that they aren’t extraverted and lively. Because of that, social media platforms are the perfect place for them.
Online, they can present the best version of themselves possible. They can photoshop their appearance, pretend to be doing amazing things, and act like they’re more important than they really are. It’s almost impressive the amount of work and time they’ll put into perfecting their online personas.
In contrast to how they present themselves, vulnerable narcissists have pretty low self-esteem. Their superiority complex is the way that they make up for how little confidence they really have in themselves. That’s why they need to try so hard to present the version of themselves that they want. Although they might not even realize it, they hate who they really are.
The age of social media has given way for new types of disorders to emerge. Although vulnerable narcissists aren’t really anything new, there’s no denying that they’re becoming more common. As social media grows ever bigger, we’re only going to be seeing more and more of these people.
Share this article with your friends and family to educate them on the different types of narcissists.
