Background

Narcissist or Psychopath? What Are the Differences?

Uploaded 8/2/2010, approx. 3 minute read

My name is Sam Vaknin, and I am the author of Malignant Self-Love, Narcissism Revisited.

What is the difference between narcissists and psychopaths?

We all heard the term psychopath, or sociopath, but these are the old or colloquial names for a patient with antisocial personality disorder.

It is hard to distinguish narcissists from psychopaths. Psychopaths may simply be a less inhibited and less grandiose form of narcissists.

Some scholars have suggested the existence of a hybrid, psychopathic narcissist, or narcissistic psychopath if you wish.

Indeed, the committee of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual No. 5, the next edition, they are considering to merge these two personality disorders and to subsume them under a general heading of personality disorder.

Still, there are important nuances setting these two mental health afflictions apart.

First of all, as opposed to most narcissists, psychopaths are either unable or unwilling to control their impulses or to delay gratification.

Psychopaths use their rage to control people and to manipulate them into submission.

Like narcissists, psychopaths lack empathy, but many of them are also sadistic. They take pleasure in inflicting pain on their victims or in deceiving them. They even find it funny.

Psychopaths are far less able to form interpersonal relationships. Even the twisted and tragic relationships that are the staple of the narcissists are beyond the pale and the scope of the psychopath.

Both the psychopath and the narcissist disregard society, its conventions, its social cues, and social norms.

But the psychopath carries this disdain to the extreme, and he is likely to be a scheming, calculating, ruthless and callous career criminal, as opposed to the narcissist.

Psychopaths are deliberately and gleefully evil, while narcissists are absentmindedly and incidentally evil.


In my book Malignant Self-Love, Narcissism Revisited, I have written, as opposed to what Scott Peck says, narcissists are not evil. They lack the intention to cause harm.

As Millon, Theodore Millon, notes, certain narcissists incorporate moral values into their exaggerated sense of superiority. Here, moral laxity is seen by the narcissist as evidence of inferiority, and it is those who are unable to remain morally pure who are looked upon with contempt by the narcissist.

So narcissists are simply indifferent, callous and careless in their conduct and in their treatment of others. Their abusive behavior is off-handed and absentminded, not calculated, remediated, like the psychopaths.

Psychopaths really do not need other people at all. They are completely self-enclosed and self-sufficient.

Narcissists, on the other hand, are addicted to narcissistic supply. They need attention, admiration, adulation from others. They are dependent on other people for their constant supply and for the regulation of their own self-worth and self-esteem, self-confidence.

In an isolated island, as castaways, the psychopath will thrive. The narcissist will dwindle and die.

Millon and Davis write, with the egocentricity, lack of empathy and sense of superiority of the narcissist, cross-fertilize with impulsivity, deceitfulness and criminal tendencies of the antisocial, the psychopath.

The result is a psychopath, an individual who seeks the gratification of selfish impulses through any means, without empathy and without remorse.

If you enjoyed this article, you might like the following:

Simple Trick: Tell Apart Narcissist, Psychopath, Borderline

Narcissists maintain one stable aspect of their lives, referred to as an "island of stability," while the rest of their existence is chaotic and disordered, leading to misconceptions about their character. In contrast, psychopaths lack any stable elements in their lives, resulting in pervasive instability across all dimensions. There are two types of narcissists: those who create compensatory stability by stabilizing one area of their life while everything else is chaotic, and those who enhance instability by introducing chaos into all aspects of their lives when one area is disrupted. The distinction between narcissists and psychopaths lies in their emotional engagement and the presence of stability, with narcissists relying on external validation while psychopaths operate without emotional depth or continuity.


Your Empathy as Narcissistic Injury: Narcissist Never Learns, No Insight

Narcissists reject empathy and intimacy because it challenges their grandiosity, and they become paranoid and aggressive when someone tries to be intimate with them. Narcissists lack empathy and access to positive emotions, leading to a truncated version of empathy called "cold empathy." Narcissists are self-aware but lack the incentive to get rid of their narcissism, and therapy is more focused on accommodating the needs of the narcissist's nearest and dearest. Cold Therapy is experimental and limited, as it removes the false self but does not develop empathy or improve the narcissist's interpersonal relationships.


Was Your Ex a Narcissist or a Psychopath?

Narcissists and psychopaths differ significantly in their emotional investments and motivations, with narcissists being emotionally invested in shared fantasies and seeking narcissistic supply, while psychopaths lack emotional attachment and are solely goal-oriented. Narcissists often engage in possessive and paranoid behaviors, such as stalking or hoovering, to maintain connections, whereas psychopaths can abruptly sever ties without any emotional repercussions. The concept of cathexis highlights that narcissists invest emotions in their fantasies, even negatively, while psychopaths exhibit flat affect and do not form attachments. Ultimately, the way each type reacts to the end of a relationship serves as a key distinguishing factor, with narcissists seeking to maintain contact and psychopaths erasing all traces of the relationship.


The Lone Wolf Narcissist and His Prey

Narcissists require constant validation and attention, and their sense of entitlement clashes with their dependence on others for self-worth. Lone wolf narcissists who withdraw from society can become dangerous due to their unquenched hunger for narcissistic supply. Schizoids, on the other hand, are indifferent to social relationships and have a limited range of emotions and affect. Psychopaths lack empathy and disregard others as instruments of gratification, and they are often criminals. When narcissism, schizoid disorder, and psychopathy converge, it can result in extremely dangerous individuals.


Goals of Narcissists, Borderlines, Psychopaths

Narcissists are not goal-oriented; their primary focus is on obtaining narcissistic supply, which they pursue without emotional investment in any long-term goals. In contrast, psychopaths are highly goal-oriented, driven by a relentless pursuit of power, money, and success, often at the expense of others. Borderline individuals also invest emotionally in their goals, but they mislabel their motivations, often confusing their desires with feelings of love or emotional states. The distinctions between these personality types are crucial for understanding their behaviors and motivations, particularly in how they relate to their goals and the means they use to achieve them.


How Narcissist Dupes, Lures YOU Into Shared Fantasy

Narcissists and psychopaths create the illusion of being human through a combination of mimicry, emotional simulation, and manipulation of social perceptions. They exploit common cognitive biases, such as the Pollyanna defense, which leads people to assume others are generally good and truthful, and malignant optimism, where individuals believe they can "save" or change these individuals despite clear signs of their harmful nature. The lack of genuine emotional depth in narcissists and psychopaths allows them to imitate emotions and behaviors convincingly, often leading to a sense of discomfort known as the uncanny valley effect, where their near-human appearance triggers unease. Ultimately, these individuals operate as sophisticated social predators, using their skills to deceive and exploit others while lacking true empathy or emotional connection.


BEWARE! Narcissists, Psychopaths are Immoral, Amoral (Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development)

Victims of narcissistic abuse often experience shock and disorientation, categorizing their complaints into three main areas: the immorality of the narcissist's behavior, feelings of betrayal despite their sacrifices, and the inhumanity of the narcissist's actions. Narcissists and psychopaths lack any sense of morality, failing to progress through the stages of moral development outlined by Kohlberg, as they do not perceive others as separate entities or understand cause and effect. Their inability to form a cohesive self or recognize the existence of others leads to a complete absence of moral reasoning, making them incapable of moral behavior. Contemporary theories suggest that while narcissists and psychopaths may exhibit some primitive moral reasoning, they ultimately remain devoid of true moral understanding or empathy.


INTERVIEW Narcissists, Psychopaths Are Among Us! (with MIKE CROSS)

Psychopaths and narcissists are often misunderstood, as they can appear charming and engaging while lacking genuine emotional depth. They view others as tools for their own gratification, using a form of "cold empathy" to manipulate and exploit those around them. While they may convince themselves of love and loyalty towards close individuals, this affection is conditional and disappears when those individuals no longer serve a purpose. The distinction between narcissists and psychopaths lies in their motivations, with narcissists seeking attention and validation, while psychopaths pursue material gains and power. Ultimately, both types are seen as reflections of a society that rewards ambition and ruthlessness, leading to their prevalence in positions of authority.


Narcissist Never Sorry

Narcissists may occasionally feel bad and experience depressive episodes, but they have a diminished capacity for empathy and rarely feel genuine remorse for their actions. They often project their own insecurities onto others, viewing themselves as victims rather than acknowledging the pain they cause. While they may experience fleeting moments of regret when faced with significant crises, this is typically short-lived, as they quickly revert to their grandiose self-image and resume their predatory behavior. Ultimately, narcissists prioritize their own needs and desires, objectifying those around them without true reflection on their impact.


Narcissists: Alien Life-forms, Lack Empathy!

Narcissists lack the ability to empathize, which is what makes them seem like alien lifeforms, robots, automata, or machines. Empathy is what binds humans together and is the essence of what it means to be human. Narcissists cannot truly communicate with other people, including their family, friends, colleagues, and even therapists. They possess a form of empathy called cold empathy, which allows them to exploit, manipulate, and humiliate others.

Transcripts Copyright © Sam Vaknin 2010-2024, under license to William DeGraaf
Website Copyright © William DeGraaf 2022-2024
Get it on Google Play
Privacy policy