My t gave me this wonderful paper to determine if someone is N. It was when we discussed my Nparents. It is directed to the person who is N. It was difficult using this to determine Compensatory NPD because the motives are mostly the opposite of those described in italics.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder Criteria
Excessive self-involvement, hypersensitivity to the evaluation of others, and the lack of empathy, indicated by at least 5 of the following:
1. How do you feel when someone praises you for something you have done?
What about when someone criticizes you?
Reacts to criticism with feelings of rage, shame, or humiliation (even if not expressed)
2. Do you sometimes have to take advantage of or use other people to get what you want?
Interpersonal exploitativeness: taking advantage of others to achieve one's own ends. (Also Borderline PD)
3. Do you feel that you are a person with special talents or abilites that other people haven't recognized?
Grandiose sense of self importance, e.g., exaggeration of achievements and talents, expectation of being noticed as "special" without appropriate achievement.
4. Do your feelings towards people sometimes change a lot so that you sometimes love or greatly admire someone at one time and then hate or feel terribly disappointed by them at another time?
A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships that characteristically alternate between the extremes of overidealization and devaluation. (Also Borderline PD)
5. Do you think very often about achieving great things, such as being very successful, powerful, brilliant, attractive or greatly loved?
Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty or ideal love.
6. Is it very important to you that people pay attention to you or admire you in some way?
Requires constant attention and admiration, e.g., keeps fishing for compliments.
7. Do people feel that you ask them for more favors than you are willing to return?
Entitlement: Expectation of special favors without assuming reciprocal responsibilities, e.g., surprise and anger that people will not always do what he or she wants.
8. Would you say that the problems that you face are so unique that few other people could ever understand them?
Belief that one's problems are unique and may be understood only by other special people.
9. How does it affect you if someone that you know very well is very upset or hurting?
Is aware of but indifferent to the feelings of others, e.g., ignores the distress of who is seriously ill.
10. Are you often envious of other people?
Preoccupied with feelings of envy.
