Narcissism, what is Narcissism? It is not just simply being vain about looks and achievements, it comes in many forms and can even be detrimental to one’s mental health. 

It can be seen on a spectrum from Least Narcissistic to Most Narcissistic. I will be talking about the different types, their traits and where they are at on the Narcissistic Spectrum.

The Grandiose Narcissist acts as though they are far more superior than their peers, regardless of their abilities and skills. They show entitlement, they get quite haughty, and have self-obsession. A good example of this would be the Harry Potter character, Gilderoy Lockhart. This is on the least part of the narcissism spectrum.

The Vulnerable or Covert Narcissist, they fear criticism and need constant reassurance. They create inner distress and become hypersensitive, especially when they become envious of others. Others call this “pulling the victim card.” This goes further right on the narcissism spectrum, a little past the center point of an immaturity level.

Malignant Narcissists are manipulative, this is the most common trait in Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) they manipulate others to get what they want. This is on the far right of the Narcissism Spectrum. 

They lie quite often to avoid conflict with others, and “gaslight” others. Gaslighting means to convince the person that they are delusional or “crazy” 

To give more insight to what that is, Gaslight was a play hosted in 1938 where the husband of the protagonist manipulates her into thinking she has gone “crazy” though, this form of manipulation has been around for a long time, viewers had been naming the manipulation tactic “gaslighting” ever since the play’s release.

Narcissistic traits can be found in anyone, it can be found in our parents, teachers, friends, siblings and partners. 

I am not a psychological professional, though my point being, if you or a loved one is experiencing any form of abuse from anyone, don’t hide it. Talk to someone you trust about what you’re experiencing. 

Younger people tend to experience it more since they have no idea how to deflect it and have no understanding of what is right and wrong when it comes to treating themselves and others. This causes emotional immaturity in the developing mind of a young person, mainly children.