5 types of Narcissism and how they can get triggered

Narcissism is a personality disorder in which a person starts thinking very highly of themselves. They believe that they should be the center of attention at all times, and also are very dismissive of others. They lack empathy, believe that others are inferior and need admiration from others all the time. Narcissists cannot deal with criticism or feedback in a healthy way. “Someone consistently seeking attention, being self-centered, and desiring praise might be viewed as narcissistic, displaying certain behaviors associated with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). However, having some narcissistic traits doesn’t automatically indicate a diagnosis of NPD,” wrote Therapist Gessica Di Stefano.
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The expert further noted down five types of Narcissism:
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Overt Narcissism: In this type of Narcissism, a person thinks that they are extremely important, and others are inferior. They are also very arrogant in nature and do not know how to respect the space for others.
Malignant Narcissism: They do not have a sense of morality and are indifferent to being morally right to others or to themselves. They are also aggressively malicious in nature.
Communal Narcissism: They have an inflated self-view of themselves and are extremely attached to the idea of liking themselves to the point that they cannot think beyond themselves at all.
Antagonistic Narcissism: In this type of Narcissism, a person constantly engages in behavioural patterns where they belittle, misguide and exploit people for their own gain.
Covert Narcissism: They are very defensive and fragile in nature, especially when it comes to criticism and feedback. They cannot deal with criticism in a healthy manner and have an explosive reaction to that.
Narcissists get triggered very easily. “Managing relationships with narcissists requires careful consideration of boundaries and communication strategies,” added the Therapist. Here are a few things that can trigger a Narcissist:
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Perceived criticism: Even if the criticism is constructive in nature, it can trigger a narcissist to the point that they start acting aggressive and defensive.
Challenges to superiority: When a narcissist is faced with anything that can challenge their perceived superiority or their self-image, they can get triggered.
Lack of admiration: Not being admired or being attended to can make a narcissist defensive, aggressive and angry.
Failure or rejection: Failing at something or being rejected can shatter their grandiose self-image, leading to triggers.
Loss of control: Narcissists like being in control of everything. When they feel that they are losing control, they start to get triggered.