Deep down, people with narcissistic personality disorder are very insecure about themselves, so this show of grandiosity is not a reflection of how they really feel; it's an effort to compensate for the self-esteem they lack. This is why, when challenged, they tend to overreact and take extreme personal offense at perceived slights.
Having narcissistic personality disorder also disables people from seeing things from another’s perspective; they are unable to view the situation from another point of view, because they are so preoccupied with themselves and how they are thinking and feeling. As a result, narcissistic personality disorder sufferers often lack empathy for others, believing that others’ misfortunes are self-inflicted, but their own misfortunes are externally inflicted.
The causal factors of narcissistic personality disorder are not completely clear, as there are many different theories about its development. Psychodynamic theorists believe that narcissistic personality disorder is caused by parents who are neglectful, devaluing, or unempathetic to the child, causing the child to develop low levels of self-confidence and a low sense of self-worth.
The developing individual then continually strives for affirmation of an idealized and grandiose sense of self to compensate for the lack of parental support they experienced when they were children....read more...
