WE all know someone who is a bit of a narcissist — but it is not always as easy to spot traits in your partner or boss.
Delusions of grandeur, trying to hog all conversations and a sense of entitlement are often more obvious in people we are not romantically attached to or working for.
A new 24-question quiz has been designed to reveal whether someone you know is showing signs of narcissism.
It focuses on the red flags of narcissistic personality disorder — a mental health condition that causes an unreasonably high sense of self-importance.
The term narcissism comes from a Greek myth about Narcissus, a man who fell in love with his own reflection.
In the modern day, this is reflected in traits like lacking empathy and being self-interested.
Narcissists seek external validation above all else, and often believe they are better than other people around them.
One study, published in PLOS One, showed narcissists are more likely to admit their own narcissism than people who are not egotistical, self-focused and vain.
Professor Brad Bushman, of Ohio State University, said: “Narcissism is problematic for both individuals and society.
“Those who think they are already great don’t try to improve themselves.
“And narcissism is bad for society because people who are only thinking of themselves and their own interests are less helpful to others.”
While the traits of narcissism are well known, psychologists do not all agree on what causes the personality disorder.
Research published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences suggests insecurities drive the mental health condition.
Lead author Dr Pascal Wallisch, of New York University, said: “For a long time, it was unclear why narcissists engage in unpleasant behaviours, such as self-congratulation, as it actually makes others think less of them.
“This has become quite prevalent in the age of social media — a behaviour that’s been coined ‘flexing’.
“Our work reveals that these narcissists are not grandiose, but rather insecure, and this is how they seem to cope with their insecurities.”
Unfortunately for you, if you’re in a relationship with or working for a narcissist, the only person who can address these insecurities is them.
A study, published in Personnel Psychology, suggested narcissists are more likely to end up as leaders in the workspace.
Dr Emily Grijalva, of the University of Buffalo, said: “It would be interesting to try to determine what kinds of employees can work well with a narcissistic leader.
“Some employees seem to be able to maintain their levels of satisfaction even when they are working with someone who is difficult.
“There might be a trade-off between narcissistic leaders’ needing a subordinate who is confident enough to earn the leader’s respect, but also deferential enough to show the leader unwavering admiration.”
To see if your boss or partner might be a narcissist, you can take the 24-question quiz on PsychCentral here.
