The Signs of Grandiose Narcissism and How to Deal With It

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Does the Term Grandiose Narcissist Mean?Signs of a Grandiose NarcissistWhat Do Grandiose Narcissists Want?Grandiose Narcissism vs. Vulnerable NarcissismHow to Deal With a Grandiose NarcissistFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Does the Term Grandiose Narcissist Mean?

Signs of a Grandiose Narcissist

What Do Grandiose Narcissists Want?

Grandiose Narcissism vs. Vulnerable Narcissism

How to Deal With a Grandiose Narcissist

Frequently Asked Questions

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Although not reflected in the official diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), it is generally considered that pathological narcissism can present with different subtypes—grandiose narcissism being one of those types.

A grandiose narcissist is someone who displays an excessive sense of self-importance in a highly visible and showy manner.Their inflated sense of self-esteem often comes at the expense of relationships or activities that would benefit them in other ways. They rely heavily on others to validate their importance—even going so far as to deceive others in order to gain admiration and recognition from them.

Grandiose narcissists tend to bemanipulative, exploitative, and lacking in empathy for those around them.

According toAlena Scigliano, M.S.Ed., LPC, licensed psychotherapist, author, speaker, and clinical expert in narcissistic abuse, “Grandiose narcissists are typically the types of narcissists who are outgoing, larger than life, charismatic and draw others into their orbit. They’re the ones you want to be around and who make you feel privileged when they want to be around you. They are often highly successful professionally or portray themselves as such.”

They’ll be the most charming person you can imagine as long as there is something that they want from you.—ALENA SCIGLIANO, MSED, LPC

They’ll be the most charming person you can imagine as long as there is something that they want from you.

—ALENA SCIGLIANO, MSED, LPC

What Are the Signs of a Grandiose Narcissist?

The signs of grandiose narcissism include an inflated sense of self-importance, a need for admiration, and recognition from others, and a lack of empathy.Grandiose narcissists may also display the following behaviors:

Grandiose narcissists can be highly successful in life—as long as their need for external validation outweighs any negative consequences of their behavior. In the long run, however, their grandiosity often creates more problems than it solves.

At their core, grandiose narcissists crave and thrive on admiration, recognition, and validation from other people. They often feel a deep need to be seen as superior or special in some way, even if it means exploiting ormanipulating othersin order to achieve the recognition they seek.

According to Scigliano, “Grandiose narcissists want to feel special, important and admired. They want to be respected, revered, recognized as superior, and remembered."

However, grandiose narcissists lack insight into their own behavior and blind themselves to the harm they cause. As such, they may never truly understand what drives them or realize how their actions affect those around them.

Grandiose narcissism is different from a vulnerable type of narcissism often known as covert narcissism.

Vulnerable narcissists are low in self-esteem, often feeling insecure and inadequate. They may be hypersensitive to criticism and display passive or destructive behaviors like avoidance, manipulation, or aggression when they feel threatened.

Grandiose narcissists want power, recognition, admiration, and control above all else. They will do anything to get it—even if it means hurting or manipulating other people in the process. In contrast, vulnerable narcissists are often more passive, isolated, distrustful, and sensitive to rejection and shame. Both types can react with anger when emotionally challenged.

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How to Deal With Someone Who Has Grandiose Narcisissm?

Grandiose narcissists are oftendifficult to deal withand can cause a lot of problems in relationships. Here are some tips for managing your interactions with someone with grandiose narcissism:

Ultimately, the best way to deal with someone who has grandiose narcissism is to stay emotionally detached while setting boundaries and avoiding power struggles. By doing so, you will be better equipped to manage any toxic behaviors they display.

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Jauk E, Kanske P.Can neuroscience help to understand narcissism? A systematic review of an emerging field. Personal Neurosci. 2021 May 28;4:e3. doi: 10.1017/pen.2021.1Mitra P, Fluyau D.Narcissistic Personality Disorder. [Updated 2022 May 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556001/Miller JD, Lynam DR, Vize C, et al.Vulnerable Narcissism Is (Mostly) a Disorder of Neuroticism.J Pers. 2018;86(2):186-199. doi:10.1111/jopy.12303Zajenkowski M, Maciantowicz O, Szymaniak K, Urban P.Vulnerable and Grandiose Narcissism Are Differentially Associated With Ability and Trait Emotional Intelligence. Front Psychol. 2018 Aug 28;9:1606. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01606. Erratum in: Front Psychol. 2018 Nov 28;9:2392. PMID: 30210418; PMCID: PMC6120976.O’Reilly CA, Hall N.Grandiose narcissists and decision making: Impulsive, overconfident, and skeptical of experts-but seldom in doubt. Pers Individ Dif. 2021 Jan 1;168:110280. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110280. Epub 2020 Aug 14. PMID: 32834287; PMCID: PMC7427600.

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Jauk E, Kanske P.Can neuroscience help to understand narcissism? A systematic review of an emerging field. Personal Neurosci. 2021 May 28;4:e3. doi: 10.1017/pen.2021.1Mitra P, Fluyau D.Narcissistic Personality Disorder. [Updated 2022 May 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556001/Miller JD, Lynam DR, Vize C, et al.Vulnerable Narcissism Is (Mostly) a Disorder of Neuroticism.J Pers. 2018;86(2):186-199. doi:10.1111/jopy.12303Zajenkowski M, Maciantowicz O, Szymaniak K, Urban P.Vulnerable and Grandiose Narcissism Are Differentially Associated With Ability and Trait Emotional Intelligence. Front Psychol. 2018 Aug 28;9:1606. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01606. Erratum in: Front Psychol. 2018 Nov 28;9:2392. PMID: 30210418; PMCID: PMC6120976.O’Reilly CA, Hall N.Grandiose narcissists and decision making: Impulsive, overconfident, and skeptical of experts-but seldom in doubt. Pers Individ Dif. 2021 Jan 1;168:110280. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110280. Epub 2020 Aug 14. PMID: 32834287; PMCID: PMC7427600.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Jauk E, Kanske P.Can neuroscience help to understand narcissism? A systematic review of an emerging field. Personal Neurosci. 2021 May 28;4:e3. doi: 10.1017/pen.2021.1Mitra P, Fluyau D.Narcissistic Personality Disorder. [Updated 2022 May 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556001/Miller JD, Lynam DR, Vize C, et al.Vulnerable Narcissism Is (Mostly) a Disorder of Neuroticism.J Pers. 2018;86(2):186-199. doi:10.1111/jopy.12303Zajenkowski M, Maciantowicz O, Szymaniak K, Urban P.Vulnerable and Grandiose Narcissism Are Differentially Associated With Ability and Trait Emotional Intelligence. Front Psychol. 2018 Aug 28;9:1606. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01606. Erratum in: Front Psychol. 2018 Nov 28;9:2392. PMID: 30210418; PMCID: PMC6120976.O’Reilly CA, Hall N.Grandiose narcissists and decision making: Impulsive, overconfident, and skeptical of experts-but seldom in doubt. Pers Individ Dif. 2021 Jan 1;168:110280. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110280. Epub 2020 Aug 14. PMID: 32834287; PMCID: PMC7427600.

Jauk E, Kanske P.Can neuroscience help to understand narcissism? A systematic review of an emerging field. Personal Neurosci. 2021 May 28;4:e3. doi: 10.1017/pen.2021.1

Mitra P, Fluyau D.Narcissistic Personality Disorder. [Updated 2022 May 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556001/

Miller JD, Lynam DR, Vize C, et al.Vulnerable Narcissism Is (Mostly) a Disorder of Neuroticism.J Pers. 2018;86(2):186-199. doi:10.1111/jopy.12303

Zajenkowski M, Maciantowicz O, Szymaniak K, Urban P.Vulnerable and Grandiose Narcissism Are Differentially Associated With Ability and Trait Emotional Intelligence. Front Psychol. 2018 Aug 28;9:1606. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01606. Erratum in: Front Psychol. 2018 Nov 28;9:2392. PMID: 30210418; PMCID: PMC6120976.

O’Reilly CA, Hall N.Grandiose narcissists and decision making: Impulsive, overconfident, and skeptical of experts-but seldom in doubt. Pers Individ Dif. 2021 Jan 1;168:110280. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110280. Epub 2020 Aug 14. PMID: 32834287; PMCID: PMC7427600.

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