Narcissists are gregarious and outgoing, right?
Life of the party extroverts love-bombing, gaslighting and manipulating their way to fame and fortune (or at the very least a modicum of dating success and narcissistic supplies).
But what about those shy narcissists?
Covert narcissists are the ones who never get their pictures in the paper, don’t want seats at the tables of power and don’t enjoy flashing light bulbs in their faces.
Grandiose narcissists often appear arrogant and exhibitionistic and can be exploitative, whilst vulnerable narcissists are shy and self-critical, overtly expressing feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Shy narcissists can also be emotionally volatile and sensitive. (Pincus & Lukowitsky, 2010)
According to researchers Kasey Stanton and Mark Zimmerman, the DSM has never really captured the true picture of narcissism as it presents in clinical settings.
The clinical picture is generally far more subtle and varied than we might imagine. The problem for researchers is that people with high levels of narcissism are unlikely to admit to vulnerability, so most standard tests will tend to capture the more grandiose features of narcissism.
