What Are The Causes Of Narcissism?

It is easy for us to label people displaying narcissistic traits as simply arrogant or manipulative, however in doing so we are often missing a larger piece to the puzzle of narcissism. There are often deep-rooted causes behind these behaviours and cognitions, many which began in one’s first few years of life.

Narcissism, in general refers to traits central to that of a sense of entitlement, lack of empathy, an exaggerated sense of self-worth, an unrealistically high self-esteem and an expectation that others will comply with and validate their self-worth.

It is important to recognise that not all narcissism is pathological, nor does it equate to a diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Adaptive narcissism or ‘normal’ narcissism refers to people who score relatively highly on narcissistic traits however do not meet the criteria for narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). While adaptive narcissism and NPD do have some similar/overlapping traits, the primary difference between the two is the extent of them.

While people with NPD experience significant personal and interpersonal dysfunction as a result of their excessive preoccupation with themselves and their appearance to the outside world, people who experience normal narcissism often maintain an exceptionally positive self-image in spite of internal or external circumstance. To find out more about these differences please refer to my previous blog.

While research regarding NPD has become more prominent, the aetiology of narcissism and NPD is somewhat scarcer. While there is not usually one single cause for NPD, there do appear to be some factors that may contribute to its manifestation.

Genetics

NPD appears to have a genetic basis, with twin studies indicating that there may be a moderate to high likelihood of heritability of NPD. Research also suggests that there may be specific genes and genetic interactions that contribute to the development of NPD however further research is needed to ascertain what these may be.

While research into the neurobiology of NPD is still in its infancy stages, studies do suggest that there may be abnormalities in particular brain areas including the insular context which is associated with empathy.

Childhood Trauma

It has been well established that traumatic events in childhood appear to be strong predictors of psychological, behavioural and even neurobiological problems later in life. One study suggested that young adults who had been abused or neglected as children were more than four times as likely as those who hadn’t to be diagnosed with a personality disorder. Links between childhood adversities and narcissistic personality disorder have also been suggested, however these adversities may range from direct childhood mistreatment to other dysfunctional experiences within the family environment including parental substance abuse, violence within the family and mental illness.

Links have also been established between physical, sexual and emotional abuse and symptoms of NPD within community samples ranging from adaptive to pathological. As a result, children may be left feeling unsafe, humiliated and hurt and may take refuge in a valued internal trait of their own, resulting in a grandiose self-image.

Parenting

Studies have suggested that NPD may be associated with parental overvaluation, praise or otherwise ‘spoiling’ their child. This often contributes to a somewhat inflated self-esteem in children from an early age, leading them to believe that they are precious and that this is how they should always be treated. While excessive amounts of over evaluating parenting, behaviours have been linked to the later manifestation of pathological narcissistic personality traits, a deficit of parenting behaviours may also contribute to similar traits. Reports of parents who were emotionally absent or failed to partake in bonding, care taking and providing empathy were also described in NPD sufferers. Additionally, inconsistencies in parental representation of love and the failure to provide a secure base by exhibiting excessive discipline has also been linked to demonstrations of narcissism.  

While these factors have been found to be associated with NPD, none of them are causal in nature. NPD (as with all mental illnesses) are complex and are often attributable to an interplay of a number of biological, psychological and social factors.