Narcissist Test: Characteristics, Uses & Treatment

The narcissistic test is a type of psychological assessment that measures the level to which narcissistic tendencies are evident within an individual’s personality. It is specifically designed to target the characteristic patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior that are associated with narcissism.

In this article, we’ll explain what the narcissist test is in detail, what the common traits of a narcissist are, as well as what marks the difference between narcissistic tendencies and narcissistic personality disorder.

The narcissist test is a psychological assessment tool designed for identifying narcissistic traits and tendencies, as well as narcissistic personality disorder in individuals.
Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition characterized by a pervasive pattern of a sense of entitlement, grandiosity, and a lack of empathy in behavior.
The causes of narcissistic personality disorder involve a combination of genetic, neurobiological, and environmental factors such as parenting style, developmental trauma, and attachment style.
There are many efficient psychotherapeutic approaches for NPD treatment, and they mainly focus on changing the distorted thinking and feeling patterns in narcissists.

What Is the Narcissist Test & Who Is It For?

The narcissism test is a tool used for the psychological assessment of the presence and levels of narcissistic traits and behaviors. It is usually based on 15 binary statements, one of which represents a typical narcissistic choice, and the other is the complete opposite and represents a non-narcissistic choice.

This test was primarily developed to support the clinical diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder. Essentially, it was developed as a psychological assessment tool to help psychologists and psychiatrists identify and differentiate individuals who have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) from those with other personality disorders.

While the narcissist test provides precise results, these need to be interpreted by a mental health professional before labeling a person as a narcissist. That’s because the traits associated with narcissism can also indicate other types of personality disorders, and the test just identifies the extent to which certain narcissistic traits are present.

Nowadays, this test is still primarily used in clinical settings, for research and academic purposes, and by individuals who seek personal insights into personality psychology. Moreover, it has also been helpful for the planning and development of therapeutic interventions and clinical practices.

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition mainly recognized by grandiosity, a lack of empathy, and an excessive need for admiration in behavior. It is believed to result from the combination of multiple inherent and external factors, such as genetic predisposition, environmental influences, and neurobiological characteristics.

However, to this day, the origins of narcissistic personality disorder aren’t fully defined or understood. Nevertheless, there’s mounting evidence that developmental/childhood trauma plays a crucial role in the development of narcissism.

Namely, in his study titled Influence of Betrayal Trauma on Pathological Narcissism, Matthew M.Yalch identifies the experience of betrayal as a high-risk predictor of NPD. Moreover, both in psychotherapeutic practice and in research, narcissism has been linked to specific parental styles that have varying degrees of traumatic effect on the child.

In general, it is important to distinguish narcissistic personality disorder from narcissistic traits and narcissistic tendencies. Some people may have many narcissistic traits or tendencies yet never fully qualify for a personality disorder because the level to which they display these tendencies isn’t excessive.

Meanwhile, people with narcissistic personality disorder may go through life without experiencing serious issues. However, they will inevitably, sooner rather than later, face very challenging situations, as NPD affects every aspect of an individual’s life.

The traits of a narcissistic personality are generally centered around their inflated sense of self-importance, and these often overlap with common toxic personality traits.

Let’s explore the key ones:

While it is commonly believed that narcissists lack empathy, things are not so simple. They aren’t entirely incapable of empathy but are relatively deficient in feeling some types of it.

Namely, in a study published by the American Psychological Association, it was found that people with NPD are more associated with dysfunctional than with deficient cognitive empathy.

Exploring their capacity for emotional empathy also needs a more multifaceted approach rather than an all-or-nothing perspective, which proposes that narcissists have no notion of empathy whatsoever. Moreover, considering that a narcissist’s perspective on life is generally distorted and highly subjective, their empathy will not be adequately developed either.

This understanding of narcissistic empathy may also explain the key difference between narcissism and psychopathy. Namely, a complete lack of empathy is highly associated with sociopathy and antisocial personality disorder, whereas dysfunctional empathy is more linked with NPD.

Arrogance refers to a sense of superiority over others and includes a set of beliefs that support the arrogant attitude. An arrogant individual is convinced that they are better than others without needing to justify that belief.

They don’t even need exceptional talent or ability as a foundation for building their inflated sense of self-importance. Consequently, they display a range of disdainful and condescending behaviors toward others.

However, arrogance is a component of many personality disorders and, therefore, should never be taken as a sole indicator of NPD.

Closely tied to arrogance, a sense of entitlement is another typical component of the narcissistic behavior pattern. A sense of entitlement refers to the belief that an individual is special, chosen, or extraordinary in some way and, therefore, has the right to expect special treatment in all circumstances.

Simply put, narcissists tend to believe that they deserve better treatment than other people without earning it in any concrete way. Practically, this means they may experience intolerable frustration with cues or disrespect common rules and procedures, believing these don’t apply to them. At the same time, they will expect automatic compliance from everyone.

Narcissists experience profound envy because other people’s successes feel threatening to their grandiose self-image. Paradoxically, as a defense mechanism, narcissists often develop the belief that other people are actually envious of them. This belief protects their self-image and allows them to keep inflating their grandiose selves.

Moreover, narcissists rarely openly display their envy, as they are aware that being envious doesn’t look good in public.

Manipulativeness is highly associated with narcissism, and people who score high on narcissist tests tend to be highly exploitative. Moreover, they are prone to perceiving others as objects and means who are only as worthy as they can take advantage of them.

Manipulativeness, lack of empathy, and sense of entitlement are all interconnected, and the more one of these traits is pronounced, the more likely it is that the other two will also be high.

In addition, manipulativeness is one of the reasons why narcissists have superficial relationships and generally struggle with personal connections. In other words, they make people around them feel worthless.

The narcissist test often targets exhibitionism, as narcissists show a range of exhibitionistic behaviors that reflect their deeply rooted need for validation. The purpose of exhibitionism in narcissism is to prove superiority by drawing attention and fishing for admiration.

This practically means a narcissist may “dress to impress,” drawing attention to their body with expensive, provocative, or extravagant outfits. Depending on other traits of their personality, they may also be prone to telling unrealistic stories about their significance and engaging in all kinds of attention-grabbing behaviors.

The sad truth behind every narcissist is their inability to accept themselves for who they truly are, with all their flaws. The more fragile their sense of self is, the more inflated their ego will be, as narcissism can be interpreted as a complex defense mechanism.

Without believing that they are superior, entitled, special, and better than others, narcissists have no clue who they are. Therefore, their deep-seated insecurity is what fuels their grandiosity and lies at the center of their pathological adaptation to reality.

However, narcissists will rarely, if ever, display insecurity in direct and obvious ways. The more severe the disorder, the harder they will try to hide their insecurity.

The narcissist test, as its name suggests, is primarily used for identifying narcissism in individuals. It has many versions, depending on the specific purpose for which they are tailored.

With that in mind, here are some of the most common uses of the narcissist test:

Clinical psychological assessment. The narcissist test is mainly designed as a tool for diagnosing narcissistic personality disorder in clinical settings. Psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and psychologists often use it in their practice.
Differential diagnosis of personality disorder. Since there may be a significant overlap of certain traits in different personality disorders, the narcissist test may be used as a tool for refining and narrowing the choice when it comes to potential diagnoses.
Treatment planning. In some cases, the test isn’t necessary to diagnose a client with NPD but to provide a framework for optimal treatment. Moreover, a narcissist test may indicate the level of specific traits and thus help specify the most effective approach to the patient.
Research and academic studies. Specific studies and research on the prevalence of narcissism within targeted populations may help in understanding the origin of narcissism, its effects, and other important implications related to NPD.
Self-discovery. Introspective and curious individuals may use the narcissist test to identify their own narcissistic tendencies and understand themselves better. If you use it for such purposes, you may want to explore the difficult person test or the dark triad test, too, as they also target the most challenging personality traits.
Educational purposes. Finally, narcissist tests are often used as educational tools in the training of counselors, psychotherapists, psychologists, and mental health professionals.

What Causes Someone to Have a Narcissistic Personality?

The causes of narcissistic personality are explained as a combination of genetic, neurobiological, environmental, and psychological factors. However, none of these factors individually can define or fully explain the development of NPD.

Contemporary applied psychology has identified specific parental styles that play a significant role in narcissistic development.

A study named The Apple of Daddy’s Eye: Parental Overvaluation Links the Narcissistic Traits of Father and Child indicates that there’s an indirect link between a father’s narcissism and children’s narcissistic traits.

Moreover, overvaluation and permissive parenting styles have been associated with narcissism in children, too. Practically, those who were treated by their parents as if they deserved special treatment internalize this belief and develop a sense of entitlement.

Severe criticism and unrealistically high expectations can also lead to narcissism in children. Those who are always expected to achieve exceptional results and are praised and accepted only when they deliver such results easily develop the belief that they have to be special if they want to be loved.

But what’s even more dangerous than overvaluation and inadequate criticism is the lack of an authentic, warm connection between the parent and the child. Neither the permissive nor the critical parents actually establish a deep, loving bond with their children, who grow up feeling unseen and lonely.

Finally, in a study that explored the correlation between narcissism and attachment styles, it was found that there was a negative relationship between secure attachment and narcissism. In contrast, insecure attachment styles correlated highly with narcissistic tendencies. This means that attachment styles can play a significant role in predicting such traits.

To treat narcissistic personality disorder, a person needs the help of an experienced mental health professional. In general, people with narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders are the least likely to seek treatment. They don’t feel as if they have problems; they will likely believe that other people have problems with them.

Moreover, people who have a narcissistic boss, a narcissist for a partner, or a narcissist for a parent are much more likely to seek treatment than a narcissist.

While it may sound counterintuitive, an individual with severe NPD may be very hard to identify as they often have a kind of chameleon personality and tend to adapt well in different settings.

The goal of the NPD treatment is to establish a bond of trust, acceptance, and understanding with the narcissist and allow them to not be special while still being worthy of love and respect.

Furthermore, the key to changing narcissistic behavior patterns is to recognize the distorted thinking and feeling patterns that lead to typical narcissistic behaviors.

While psychotherapeutic approaches to treating narcissism may involve different strategies, they all aim at changing the narcissist’s belief system. Such a change inevitably influences their capacity for empathy and connection.

In general, personality disorders are fairly rare among the general population, and when we talk about narcissism, we actually talk about narcissistic traits and tendencies. The narcissist test helps professionals determine the presence of these and measure how much they affect an individual’s life to come up with a suitable treatment plan.

Bearing that in mind, let’s highlight some key insights about this test:

The narcissist test was developed to target the typical traits associated with narcissism and can help in the differential diagnosis of NPD.
We all have some narcissistic traits; what makes the difference is how pronounced these traits are.
The narcissist test can be used in psychological research and studies, in clinical settings, for treatment planning, and as a self-development tool.