Main signs of narcissism as diagnosed man says there are three ways you can tell for sure that you aren’t one

A lot of big words get thrown about in conversation these days in the wrong context - and the term 'narcissist' is one of the frontrunners.

Although it's great that people are broadening their vocabularies, the word is often misused in today's society.

Some seem to believe that it is an appropriate term to describe a person with unfavourable traits, rather than someone who actually has narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).

But to be fair, it can be difficult to differentiate between the two, unless you're a mental health expert.

Zachary Rosenthal PhD, a clinical psychologist at Duke Health, explains that displaying narcissistic tendencies - such as being boastful or making yourself the centre of attention - is 'normal' when it happens every now and again.

However, NPD is 'different', as these symptoms are a lot more severe and tend to display themselves without restriction, regardless of what situation or environment you're in.

What is a narcissist?

Narcissistic personality disorder has nine main symptoms, clinical psychologist Zachary Rosenthal said (Getty Stock Image)

So, let's start with the basics - what exactly is a narcissist in the eyes of a medical professional?

According to Rosenthal, they are 'not bad people', but they do display problematic behaviours, which can be difficult for those around them to cope with.

"They have been conditioned to believe that they are special and deserve to be treated better than others and approach the world accordingly," the clinical psychologist said.

People with NPD have a 'pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration and lack of empathy', according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V).

Their behaviour typically might be seen as 'boastful, arrogant, or even unlikeable' to their peers, it explains.

The main signs of narcissism

Rosenthal reckons there are nine signs of NPD and he has come up with a handy way of remembering them all.

Using the very apt acronym, 'SPECIAL ME', the mental health expert revealed the most common personality traits which narcissists possess.

Here's Rosenthal's round up:

• Sense of self-importance
• Preoccupation with power, beauty, or success
• Entitled
• Can only be around people who are important or special
• Interpersonally exploitative for their own gain
• Arrogant
• Lack empathy
• Must be admired
• Envious of others or believe that others are envious of them

How you can tell that you are not a narcissist?

Jacob Skidmore reckons there are three indicators which can suggest whether you have NPD or not (Instagram/@the.nameless.narcissist)

Although you'd need to check in with a doctor to get an absolutely definitive answer, there are apparently a few ways you can confirm that you are definitely not a narcissist.

That's according to Jacob Skidmore, anyway, who has been diagnosed with NPD - but he explained a few people in his life 'didn't believe him' when he shared the news with them.

"The people close to me knew I was, neurotic, to say the least," he previously told LADbible.

"But since I was trying to hide my diagnosis for a long time, they thought my reactionary nature, anger and mood swings were caused by something like depression or bipolar disorder."

The content creator, who is better known online as The Nameless Narcissist, previously shared a clip with his hundreds of thousands of TikTok followers explaining there are three main signs which can indicate you don't have NPD.

Jacob explained that he'd never met a narcissist who didn't 'do these things', but pointed out this is just his opinion, so take it as a guide rather than as gospel.

First, he explained that feeling 'genuine' emotions is a sign someone isn't a narcissist, as he finds himself 'faking' his, saying: " Narcissists don't have those normal emotional reactions, we have to emulate them half the time."

Next, is whether or not you believe every person on the planet has equal worth - as in his eyes, it's 'inconceivable that two people can have it inherently the same amount of worth.'

Jacob said: "For me, there's always gonna be a better person and a person below."

And lastly, if you love yourself, the diagnosed narcissist reckons you definitely haven't got NPD.

"A lot of people think narcissists love themselves," Jacob said of the common perception around NPD. "No, we think we're better than everybody else.

"We might love how we look. We might love our intelligence. But my internal monologue is a constant stream of 'You're so stupid. Why did you do that?

"You're better than all these other people. How could you be so stupid?' There is no self love. There is no self compassion there. It's just grandiosity."