Let´s first do some math and numbers. According to the largest study ever conducted on personality disorders by the U.S.National Institutes of Health, 6 % of the U.S. population had BPD (borderline personality disorder) and 6 % has NPD (narcissistic personality disorder). Psychopaths make up about 1 % of the general population. This means that if you go to the cinema with 100 seats and all tickets are being sold out, you sit with 6 full blown narcissists, 6 full blown individuals with borderline personality disorder and 1 full blown psychopath in the same room. And this numbers do not include people who are somewhere on the border between "being normal" and "being disordered" or having strong narcissistic traits. In reality, the number might be much higher. As our society is disordered itself and it rewards disordered narcissistic behavior, the numbers increased since past decade tremendously. This trend is alarming. More and more people knocking on the doors of the therapist´s office with depressions and mental health issues not even realizing that they are actually not "mentally ill" or "crazy and unstable" but they went through the narcissistic abuse and suffer from PTSD. Its very important to educate yourself on cluster B type of the personality disorder as at some point in your life, every of us, will find ourselves in an interaction with either narcissist, sociopath, BPD or psychopath at work, at home, on the street or in a grocery store.
What is a difference between a narcissist and a psychopath?
The narcissists are rarely diagnosed only with one diagnosis. Their disorder usually co-morbid with other disorders. Their type B of personality disorder might co-morbid with other type B of personality disorder (for example a "narcopath" is a narcissism co-morbid with the sociopathy, a "malignant narcissist" is a mix of the psychopath and the narcissist or you can easily meet the borderline psychopath) but also with other types of personality disorders such as a type A (for example, paranoid and schizoid disorders) or a type C (for example, avoidant , obsessive - compulsive or dependent personality disorders). Also, the narcissism is a spectrum - some of the narcissists score higher and some of them score lower on the spectrum of empathy and consciousness. Its very difficult to stick some certain label on their box. Every disordered individual is unique based on what mix of personality disorders they suffer from.
Here are the 5 main differences between a narcissist and a psychopath:
1. The narcissists are narcissistic supply oriented while the psychopaths are goal oriented (money, power).
The psychopaths do not need other people and the narcissistic supply at all, they are the "lone wolf". On the other hand, the narcissism is an addiction to people, the narcissists are actually very codependent individuals. The narcissists desperately need to be around other people to regulate their emotions through the narcissistic supply such as an attention, admiration, sympathy, validation, causing drama, etc. Thats why you find the narcissists always surrounded with people because they need those people as the tools for playing all the triangulation games, mind games and they can´t stand to be alone (otherwise they would collapse). The narcissists do not necessary have to be around a huge amount of people. For the overt type of the narcissists, they are being usually surrounded with a larger crowd of people, but the covert narcissists are much more introverted in nature and they have the tendency to isolate themselves more but yet, the "coverts" still have to have at least one person to feed of (their spouse or mother or best friend). While the "overts" are very ongoing and social, the "coverts" have the tendency to isolate the victims to keep the source of their supply "exclusively secured" and isolated behind the doors. The psychopaths prefer to be alone and do not have any issue to be alone. The psychopaths interact with people only if its necessary to reach their goals. Otherwise, for the psychopaths, the less spotlight, the less problems, the less noise, the better. They are the smooth sailors (kill, rob and get out of there as quick as possible). Thats why the prisons are full of the narcissists because they brag a lot to gain the narcissistic supply from their audience (they would brag even to police officer about their robbery just to get the attention). They can´t control their addiction. The narcissists are pretty stupid and messy when it comes to crimes due to their bragging nature. The narcissists rob to brag about it, the psychopaths rob to "enjoy" themselves while they can´t care less about what people think about them.
A confidence is quiet. The insecurity is loud. The narcissists are not confident, they are arrogant. Arrogance and confidence are 2 different things. The narcissists are deeply insecure individuals and the insecurity is actually the reason behind all crazy things they do.
2. The narcissists are capable to maintain the relationships with other people (even its torturing for them and for the victims) while the psychopaths can not.
The psychopaths do not suffer from lack of human interaction while the narcissists would die to be away from their narcissistic supply sources like the lizard would die without the water in the middle of the desert, the narcissist would be starved to death. The narcissists do their best to maintain their "false self mask" to the public and they are driven by their addiction - the need to be validated by outside sources. The narcissists are capable to maintain even long term relationships (especially the covert type ones).
3. The psychopaths have no emotions while the narcissists are being crippled by the emotions (they have only the negative emotions and they lack of positive emotions).
Its a great misapprehension that the narcissists do not have emotions. They do. However, most of their emotions are negative - jealousy, envy, narcissistic emotional injury, hate, rage, low self esteem that they have to regulate through abusing others, etc. When the narcissists express their negative emotions, they are being authentic and their negative emotions are real. On the other hand, when the psychopaths express their negative emotions, they fake it, its a performance as the psychopaths do not have emotions. They use the negative emotions like a tool to make people fear them to get what they want (for example they rage on people to steal a money from them). The aim is to steal the money from people, not the emotional regulation. While the narcissists do not care about the people´s money in the first place, they enjoy the emotional and mental mind game and drama in the process, the stolen money from people is only the secondary need. The psychopaths want money and power for "enjoying" themselves, the narcissists want the money and power to gain the narcissistic supply and validation from others. The narcissists are all over the place with their negative emotions unable to control them which prevent them to be capable. The narcissists are being crippled by pile of anxieties, fears and episodes of depression while the psychopaths are capable due to their fearless unemotional nature. The narcissists are pile of various negative emotions while the psychopaths are the cold blooded animals and the killer machines.
4. You can´t manipulate the psychopath while it is easy to manipulate the narcissist.
The narcissists need a constant emotional stimulation from other people. They will stick around you if you give them the positive narcissistic supply. They will stick around you even when you give them enough negative narcissistic supply. They will chase you if you withhold the narcissistic supply. You can press their buttons and very easily cause them narcissistic emotional injury if you want. Their whole world is dictated by their addiction. With a knowledge on narcissism you can play the narcissists like a violin. You can´t manipulate the psychopath with the narcissistic supply (for example with flattery) while the narcissists are being easily manipulated (for example with flattery).
5. The narcissists are not capable while the psychopaths are fully capable.
Have you ever worked with the narcissists? They are very chaotic, they do not have time to work because they are too busy to cause the drama about trivial stuff. The greater havoc and noise, the better. They are very busy to deal with the affairs at work place or bragging about how many crocodiles they caught on their vacation in the kid´s pool, more than Crocodile Dundee! The narcissists are small children trapped in the adult´s body. It takes them ages to come to some results and they are very messy and noisy. They would lead "an office war" for months and months because someone has better shoes than them. Till the narcissist would finish the war to win the hard candy, the psychopath will already sit in the luxury restaurant on the other part of the globe where he or she flew to hide after he or she did the robbery of the century. In most of the cases, the narcissists are incapable individuals who mostly only brag about their disillusional fantasy of being rich, famous, etc, the psychopaths are usually the real CEO on the top of the pyramids of the corporations and they do not need to brag.
The narcissists "play with their food" while psychopaths do not play at all. The narcissists invest so much time into an interaction with people that in the end they even forget why they came here in the first place. They often forget their goals on the way to reach the goals. The narcissists are easily and often distracted by their addiction and narcissistic emotional injuries. The narcissists lose themselves in an endless mind games and drama being very impractical in reaching their goals. They enjoy the process more than they enjoy the results. On the other hand, you can´t distract the psychopath from reaching his or her goal, the psychopath wants the results and do not care about the process. The psychopaths are very calculated and they "keep their eyes on the prize" without distraction. The psychopaths are not emotionally invested at all. You can´t manipulate the psychopaths through love or hate.
The psychopath is a gun. Because its a business.
The narcissist is a knife. Because its personal.
Here are the 5 main differences between a narcissist and a psychopath:
1. The narcissists are narcissistic supply oriented while the psychopaths are goal oriented (money, power).
The psychopaths do not need other people and the narcissistic supply at all, they are the "lone wolf". On the other hand, the narcissism is an addiction to people, the narcissists are actually very codependent individuals. The narcissists desperately need to be around other people to regulate their emotions through the narcissistic supply such as an attention, admiration, sympathy, validation, causing drama, etc. Thats why you find the narcissists always surrounded with people because they need those people as the tools for playing all the triangulation games, mind games and they can´t stand to be alone (otherwise they would collapse). The narcissists do not necessary have to be around a huge amount of people. For the overt type of the narcissists, they are being usually surrounded with a larger crowd of people, but the covert narcissists are much more introverted in nature and they have the tendency to isolate themselves more but yet, the "coverts" still have to have at least one person to feed of (their spouse or mother or best friend). While the "overts" are very ongoing and social, the "coverts" have the tendency to isolate the victims to keep the source of their supply "exclusively secured" and isolated behind the doors. The psychopaths prefer to be alone and do not have any issue to be alone. The psychopaths interact with people only if its necessary to reach their goals. Otherwise, for the psychopaths, the less spotlight, the less problems, the less noise, the better. They are the smooth sailors (kill, rob and get out of there as quick as possible). Thats why the prisons are full of the narcissists because they brag a lot to gain the narcissistic supply from their audience (they would brag even to police officer about their robbery just to get the attention). They can´t control their addiction. The narcissists are pretty stupid and messy when it comes to crimes due to their bragging nature. The narcissists rob to brag about it, the psychopaths rob to "enjoy" themselves while they can´t care less about what people think about them.
A confidence is quiet. The insecurity is loud. The narcissists are not confident, they are arrogant. Arrogance and confidence are 2 different things. The narcissists are deeply insecure individuals and the insecurity is actually the reason behind all crazy things they do.
2. The narcissists are capable to maintain the relationships with other people (even its torturing for them and for the victims) while the psychopaths can not.
The psychopaths do not suffer from lack of human interaction while the narcissists would die to be away from their narcissistic supply sources like the lizard would die without the water in the middle of the desert, the narcissist would be starved to death. The narcissists do their best to maintain their "false self mask" to the public and they are driven by their addiction - the need to be validated by outside sources. The narcissists are capable to maintain even long term relationships (especially the covert type ones).
3. The psychopaths have no emotions while the narcissists are being crippled by the emotions (they have only the negative emotions and they lack of positive emotions).
Its a great misapprehension that the narcissists do not have emotions. They do. However, most of their emotions are negative - jealousy, envy, narcissistic emotional injury, hate, rage, low self esteem that they have to regulate through abusing others, etc. When the narcissists express their negative emotions, they are being authentic and their negative emotions are real. On the other hand, when the psychopaths express their negative emotions, they fake it, its a performance as the psychopaths do not have emotions. They use the negative emotions like a tool to make people fear them to get what they want (for example they rage on people to steal a money from them). The aim is to steal the money from people, not the emotional regulation. While the narcissists do not care about the people´s money in the first place, they enjoy the emotional and mental mind game and drama in the process, the stolen money from people is only the secondary need. The psychopaths want money and power for "enjoying" themselves, the narcissists want the money and power to gain the narcissistic supply and validation from others. The narcissists are all over the place with their negative emotions unable to control them which prevent them to be capable. The narcissists are being crippled by pile of anxieties, fears and episodes of depression while the psychopaths are capable due to their fearless unemotional nature. The narcissists are pile of various negative emotions while the psychopaths are the cold blooded animals and the killer machines.
4. You can´t manipulate the psychopath while it is easy to manipulate the narcissist.
The narcissists need a constant emotional stimulation from other people. They will stick around you if you give them the positive narcissistic supply. They will stick around you even when you give them enough negative narcissistic supply. They will chase you if you withhold the narcissistic supply. You can press their buttons and very easily cause them narcissistic emotional injury if you want. Their whole world is dictated by their addiction. With a knowledge on narcissism you can play the narcissists like a violin. You can´t manipulate the psychopath with the narcissistic supply (for example with flattery) while the narcissists are being easily manipulated (for example with flattery).
5. The narcissists are not capable while the psychopaths are fully capable.
Have you ever worked with the narcissists? They are very chaotic, they do not have time to work because they are too busy to cause the drama about trivial stuff. The greater havoc and noise, the better. They are very busy to deal with the affairs at work place or bragging about how many crocodiles they caught on their vacation in the kid´s pool, more than Crocodile Dundee! The narcissists are small children trapped in the adult´s body. It takes them ages to come to some results and they are very messy and noisy. They would lead "an office war" for months and months because someone has better shoes than them. Till the narcissist would finish the war to win the hard candy, the psychopath will already sit in the luxury restaurant on the other part of the globe where he or she flew to hide after he or she did the robbery of the century. In most of the cases, the narcissists are incapable individuals who mostly only brag about their disillusional fantasy of being rich, famous, etc, the psychopaths are usually the real CEO on the top of the pyramids of the corporations and they do not need to brag.
The narcissists "play with their food" while psychopaths do not play at all. The narcissists invest so much time into an interaction with people that in the end they even forget why they came here in the first place. They often forget their goals on the way to reach the goals. The narcissists are easily and often distracted by their addiction and narcissistic emotional injuries. The narcissists lose themselves in an endless mind games and drama being very impractical in reaching their goals. They enjoy the process more than they enjoy the results. On the other hand, you can´t distract the psychopath from reaching his or her goal, the psychopath wants the results and do not care about the process. The psychopaths are very calculated and they "keep their eyes on the prize" without distraction. The psychopaths are not emotionally invested at all. You can´t manipulate the psychopaths through love or hate.
The psychopath is a gun. Because its a business.
The narcissist is a knife. Because its personal.
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