Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), is a mental health disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, a deep need for admiration, and a lack of empathy for others that often leads to impairment in functioning in many areas of life, such as work, school, and relationships. Individuals diagnosed with NPD actively seek out self-enhancement experiences from their social environment, are highly sensitive to criticism, and often respond with anger or retaliatory behaviors when they do not receive the admiration or special treatment they believe that they deserve. Theorists and researchers have argued that the overconfidence and grandiosity associated with NPD actually serves to conceal an underlying sense of inferiority and insecurity. This entry ...