People with narcissistic personality disorder are known to be natural charmers and for obvious reasons. These people are master manipulators that know how to get exactly what they want at almost any given moment.
People suffering from NPD are apathetic and don’t care who they have to hurt and step over to get what they want or get to where they want to be in their lives.
Narcissists have a largely inflated ego and think of themselves in high regard. They also believe that they deserve to be admired and praised by everyone they cross paths with. If this doesn’t happen they become unhappy and disappointed.
The causes of NPD aren’t exactly clear to many researchers and medical professionals, yet they have concluded that there is a strong tie between genetics and certain environmental factors. The causes and risk factors of NPD are:
Genetics
Many researchers have suggested that the cause of some people developing narcissistic personality disorder is their genetics. A specific genetic defect that can be passed down from parent to child could be the reason for the development of this disorder.
This is more likely if one parent is a narcissist.
Chemical imbalance
This is another possible cause of narcissistic personality disorder. The neurotransmitters that pass messages from the part of the brain that controls behavior and the part of the brain that controls thinking could be on overdrive.
Environmental factors
* Quite a number of children who have been neglected grow up to be narcissists. This mostly happens to unknowingly compensate for the time lost in which they should have felt more secure and adored.
* Having a parent that always used to pamper you and give you exactly what you wanted may have given some people unrealistic expectations of how the world and the people in it should treat them. This could also make a lot of people more demanding and believe that they deserve everything they want because they used to get exactly that from a parent.
* Being continuously criticized as a child and being told that nothing you ever did was enough or right could lead many children to develop NPD. These kids grow up becoming perfectionists and shun everyone who isn’t one.
* In certain cultures, men are viewed as the head of the house, and women are viewed as weak. This could lead to a lot of men to develop NPD because of their cultural beliefs and what they were taught throughout their lives.
* Having extremely overprotective parents could damage the emotional and mental growth of many children, leading them to develop NPD.
Though anybody could develop NPD, men are more likely to be diagnosed with this personality disorder. It’s important to note that NPD begins developing in teen-years or early adulthood. Its recommended that if you do notice your child or a loved one exhibiting signs of this personality disorder you should encourage them to get help.