Compensatory Narcissistic Personality Disorder questions

Cassandre wrote:Please do not take any of this the wrong way, I may not always agree with you but I very much value your insights. You've been a steady source of inspiration, I just wish I can be as useful to you as you are to me.

No worries there! I get as much out of reading other's insights, you included. Disagreements are the start of finding common ground. I hope I never leave anyone feeling it's not okay to disagree.

What is called covert or hypersensitive narcissism on the internet is a bunch of bollox. It's not, nor probably will ever be, an actual diagnosis. Every time I read one of those pop psychology articles about it, it sounds quite a bit like Borderline PD or something similar.

The problem is, many people assume that Borderline PD is just an emotional disorder, when it's actually quite related to pathological narcissism and sociopathy in many facets. Most with Borderline PD are very exploitative, entitled and lack empathy (cognitive and emotional). Hello? It's a cluster B disorder for a reason. If it was just about fearing abandonment and having emotional problems why didn't they put it with those shy people in cluster A/C?

Now, narcissistic vulnerability is definitely a thing, and narcissism can absolutely be expressed covertly. Any of us evil narcs can tell you that But please, stop calling your mothers covert narcs because they're erratic, volatile and selfish.

dibita wrote:What is called covert or hypersensitive narcissism on the internet is a bunch of bollox. It's not, nor probably will ever be, an actual diagnosis. Every time I read one of those pop psychology articles about it, it sounds quite a bit like Borderline PD or something similar.

So the category doesnt exist, only some offshoot of BPD? In your oppinion.

dibita wrote:The problem is, many people assume that Borderline PD is just an emotional disorder, when it's actually quite related to pathological narcissism and sociopathy in many facets. Most with Borderline PD are very exploitative, entitled and lack empathy (cognitive and emotional). Hello? It's a cluster B disorder for a reason. If it was just about fearing abandonment and having emotional problems why didn't they put it with those shy people in cluster A/C?

You seem to know a lot about clusters and very little about the disorders. The traits you mention dont figure on the list of 9 main traits of BPD, but strangely you point out traits of narcissism while describing BPD. Can you clarify this?

I've read a small number of writers who believe all cluster B personality types are versions of BPD. I am somewhat of pragmatist, so think the labels only matter if it can somehow help a professional to choose a course of treatment.

A poor analogy, but one could reduce all cases of a broken bone to the label, 'broken bone', but describing the type of break is useful to professionals in choosing what to do. Does it need to be set, cast or pins or both, etc.

Professionals do love their labels though, and no doubt there is plenty of in-fighting about those labels. In the end though I think what is trying to be communicated is there is sense of difference between these two -

a.) This person is reacting to implicit self-esteem damage, and copes via x, y, z...

b.) This person was told from an early age they really are special, entitled, they lash out any who disagree with what they believe/learned is absolutely true.

Does it make a difference to professionals? I don't know. Maybe. In reality a mix of both is possible too.

xdude wrote:I've read a small number of writers who believe all cluster B personality types are versions of BPD. I am somewhat of pragmatist, so think the labels only matter if it can somehow help a professional to choose a course of treatment.

Interesting
Do you happen to know what terms I need to google to come across said writers?

xdude wrote:I've read a small number of writers who believe all cluster B personality types are versions of BPD. I am somewhat of pragmatist, so think the labels only matter if it can somehow help a professional to choose a course of treatment.

A poor analogy, but one could reduce all cases of a broken bone to the label, 'broken bone', but describing the type of break is useful to professionals in choosing what to do. Does it need to be set, cast or pins or both, etc.

Professionals do love their labels though, and no doubt there is plenty of in-fighting about those labels. In the end though I think what is trying to be communicated is there is sense of difference between these two -

a.) This person is reacting to implicit self-esteem damage, and copes via x, y, z...

b.) This person was told from an early age they really are special, entitled, they lash out any who disagree with what they believe/learned is absolutely true.

Does it make a difference to professionals? I don't know. Maybe. In reality a mix of both is possible too.

Not to mention there is a lot of debate about the similarities between BPD and Autism spectrum disorder too. I agree that There is no use for these sub categories of disorders that the top professionals in the field can’t even agree on. It’s interesting for the researchers to debate and it’s critical but it doesn’t make a lot of practical difference to average person struggling with one of these disorders

ZeroZ wrote:...Not to mention there is a lot of debate about the similarities between BPD and Autism spectrum disorder too. I agree that There is no use for these sub categories of disorders that the top professionals in the field can’t even agree on. It’s interesting for the researchers to debate and it’s critical but it doesn’t make a lot of practical difference to average person struggling with one of these disorders

Agree with this, and why I am only minimally interested in the labeling. I get why it occurs, but academic debate can get in the way of what is actually useful.

ZeroZ wrote:
Not to mention there is a lot of debate about the similarities between BPD and Autism spectrum disorder too.

i agree based on my self-retrospection. for a while i thought about ASD before turning my attention back on BPD.

another overlap i noticed in myself is between borderline and bipolar. a lot of folks get misdiagnosed one way or another. now, this one is a significant one because of specific treatments for bipolar. i also noticed that the same mood stabilizing drugs help some people with borderline. makes you think, right?