A criminal psychologist says you can spot a narcissist by asking them one simple question.
Dr Julia Shaw, who specialises in false memories and criminal behaviour, rejects the idea that people are 'born evil', arguing that environment, upbringing, and life pressures shape human behaviour.
And when it comes to narcissists, the German-Canadian writer says the term is extremely popular right now.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a mental health condition which causes an increased sense of self-importance, a need for admiration and often a lack of empathy for others.
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While having the odd selfish thought doesn't mean you're a narcissist, there are various 'red flags' that you can look out for.
That being said, the host of Murder in Mind with Kerry Daynes thinks 'people love this term right now'.
"Oh, my mom’s a narcissist. My therapist, your ex — it’s almost always an ex for women — is a narcissist," she told LADbible Stories in an episode of Honesty Box.
When asked how to spot a narcissist, the health expert revealed what she called 'one of my favourite findings' in psychology, known as the 'single item narcissism scale'.
Instead of using a lengthy diagnostic test, researchers found that narcissists can often be identified by the single, simple question: “Are you a narcissist?”
Dr Shaw explained: “Psychologists tried with 20 questions and they’re like, well, you know, let’s see if this works. And then they tried actually, why don’t we try one question? And they developed what’s called the single item narcissism scale, which is literally just the question, ‘Are you a narcissist?’
“It was as predictive of whether people are narcissists as 20 or more questions. Which is kind of funny — and I also think it could potentially be useful.
“How do you spot a narcissist? Ask them. A narcissist would probably answer to this question, ‘Are you a narcissist?’ — ‘Uh, yeah, but like I am better than most people.’”
It's thinking you’re great and 'thinking you’re better than you actually are' at something which gives it away, Dr Shaw claims.
“It’s a realistic appraisal of myself — because that’s what narcissism is, right?” she adds.
However, the expert warns that people like to use this 'buzzword' without understanding what it actually means.
“We need to be incredibly careful not to use this therapeutic language in this really casual, overly confident, inaccurate way — because it takes away from contexts where it really matters,” Dr Shaw said.
Also, when asked whether world leaders are often narcissists, she confirmed: “Definitely. That’s all I’m going to say on that one.”
Topics: Health, Mental Health
Anish Vij