Applied Personality Project

Component 1: Summary and Analysis of Popular Media Article or Current Event 

Narcissistic people are characterized majorly by their unending urge to advocate for and indicate their self-importance. They are known to have a taste for lack of empathy for the people around them and often find themselves in conflicts (Watch This, 2019). Leonard Anders was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder several years ago. As captured by Watch This (2019), Leonard describes himself as having been very demanding and expected a lot from the people who were around him. More often than not, he found himself in intense arguments with other people where Leonard would refuse to acknowledge that they were right, even if they were. What is more, is that Leonard would not accept any praise as he thought that people were making fun of him. From the case of Leonard Anders, Watch This (2019) recognizes that narcissistic personality disorder is rare among human beings but still categorized under personality disorders. Even though many people may exhibit narcissistic behavior and traits, only 0.5 to 1 percent of the world's total population has been diagnosed with a narcissistic personality disorder, according to the data provided by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Watch This, 2019). The article compiled by the newspaper is relevant to the current studies based on personality in the vast field of psychology. Firstly, the article describes the specific signs and symptoms that pertain to narcissistic personality disorder. That is the primary step towards the intervention of the disorder among the individuals struggling with it. Additionally, the identification of the precise symptoms of the disorder provides differentiation of narcissistic personality disorder from the traits of narcissism that people may display at times. Secondly, the article is relevant to the ongoing awareness across the globe targeting the individuals that have been affected by narcissism and other personality disorders. 

The article is related to personality psychology in multifaceted ways. Firstly, the newspaper explores narcissistic personality disorder as a condition that affects the behaviors of the victims towards themselves and those that are around them. The field of psychology is majorly based on the behavior of human beings concerning the various stimuli acting on them from their surroundings and other people. The signs and symptoms of the disorder have been reported to make the individual focus only on themselves and treat other human beings as less privileged than they are. Therefore, Watch This (2019) achieves the connection of the disorder to the topic of personality psychology. In retrospect, narcissistic personality disorder has severe implications on the various individuals affected even though the condition has been reported to be rare among human beings. The victims of the disorder often find themselves in bad books with those that are around them, owing to their feelings of self-importance and expecting a lot from others. While the article provides an in-depth explanation of the effects of the narcissistic personality disorder on the victim and the other people surrounding him or her, less emphasis has been laid on the causes of the condition. Watch This (2019) states that the disorder may be a result of the environment in which one grows up from a young age. The disorder is therefore linked to the people who had criticism or adoration in excess from a very tender age. Thus, neurobiology and genetics play an integral role in the development of narcissistic personality disorder in human beings. Therapy has been stated as one of the most effective interventions for narcissistic personality disorder. However, the article has not expounded on the various types or stages of therapy that an individual has had to go through in his or her quest to manage the condition. 

Component 2: Research Article Application 

Various researchers in the field of psychology have explored narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) as one of the conditions that have been found to affect the personalities of different human beings. Hörz-Sagstetter et al. (2018) explore the research based on the condition and attempt to link it with the borderline personality disorder (BPD). Just like the narcissistic personality disorder, borderline personality disorder leads to the alienation of the individual from the other people around him or her, which leads to unstable relationships. The principal purpose of the research that has been compiled by Hörz-Sagstetter et al. (2018) is to determine the clinical characteristics of the comorbid narcissistic personality disorder among the patients who have already been diagnosed with the borderline personality disorder. The authors suggest that the two conditions are closely related and especially in the manifestation of their effects on the personality psychology of the victims and the people that are around them. In addition to the clinical characteristics under review, Hörz-Sagstetter et al. (2018) have also gone the extra step of reviewing the psychopathology of the NPD in the patients who have earlier been diagnosed with the BPD. The researchers investigated their research question by organizing two randomized controlled trials at the international level. The researchers had a sample of 188 patients diagnosed with BPD. Out of the total number of patients affected by BPD and took part in the research, 25 of them were also diagnosed with comorbid NPD according to the DSM-IV. Compared to the BPD patients without comorbid NPD, the BPD patients who had comorbid NPD indicated more BPD criteria. The latter also fulfilled significantly more criteria of the comorbid histrionic, schizotypal, and paranoid personality disorders than the former. Hörz-Sagstetter et al. (2018), therefore, concluded that the NPD-BPD group was more at risk of being affected by a myriad of personality disorders owing to their vulnerability. Nonetheless, no differences were found in the general functioning of the body and suicidal attempts among the BPD-NPD group and the BPD group not suffering from comorbid NPD. 

The conclusions of the research are adequate, as provided by Hörz-Sagstetter et al. (2018). The findings of the randomized controlled trial state that the victims of BPD who are diagnosed with comorbid NPD are more likely to develop other personality disorders. The comorbidity of the NPD is its ability to coexist with the other personality disorders, with it being the primary disease. Besides its comorbidity with other personality disorders, NPD is also comorbid with anxiety, substance abuse, and mood (Eaton et al., 2017). Such parameters of NPD make it lethal for the victims, and therefore, correct and timely interventions are inevitable. The findings of the research explained by Hörz-Sagstetter et al. (2018) are credible and have been seconded by Eaton et al. (2017). Most of the personality disorders have universal effects on the individuals and the people surrounding them. According to Tyrer, Reed, and Crawford (2015), the personality disorders have the commonality of interfering with the interpersonal relationships among the victims and the people that they interact with on a regular basis. Pathologically, the personality disorders such as NPD and BPD are characterized by a normal personality at one end of the spectrum and a severely affected personality at the other end. Most of the conditions may raise suicidal thoughts among the victims, which mostly comes from the alienation that the victims have from mainstream society and routine activities. Tyrer, Reed, and Crawford (2015) therefore agree with Hörz-Sagstetter et al. (2018) that the BPD victims with comorbid NPD function the same as the BPD victims without the comorbid NPD. Thus, the conclusion of the research is accurate. More insight into the findings of the research proves that Hörz-Sagstetter et al. (2018) have overemphasized on the comorbidity of both NPD and BPD and underemphasized the effects of NPD on the individuals and the causes of the condition. 

Hörz-Sagstetter et al. (2018) have contributed to an increment in my knowledge of the narcissistic personality disorder as one of the psychological conditions recognized by the DSM-5. Firstly, the research makes individuals understand the relationship between narcissistic personality disorder and borderline personality disorder, as explained. Although the two conditions are classified as separate personality disorders, they have a close resemblance to their causes and effects on the individual and his or her surrounding people. Secondly, the research raises the awareness of the comorbidity of the personality disorders among individuals with a detailed analysis of the effects of comorbid NPD on the victims of BPD. One of the significant strengths of the study lies in its clear description of the implications of comorbid NPD on individuals who have already been diagnosed with BPD. The outline of comorbidity as an accelerating factor to the effects of personality disorders is relevant to the readiness of the various organizations in the offering of interventions to the NPD as a personality condition in the field of psychology. However, the main weakness of the study is that it does not expound more on the causes of NPD among individuals. The conclusions of the research inform the article provided regarding the connection of the narcissistic personality disorder to the more important topic of personality psychology. The research also goes the extra mile to introduce comorbidity as an aspect of personality disorders that have not been in the limelight. Notwithstanding, the conclusion of the research aligns with the message of the article provided and especially relating to the overall effects of the personality disorders on the individuals, under which the narcissistic personality disorder falls. 

Component 3: Connection to Personality Theory 

Humanistic Theory of Psychology 

One of the theories that can be used to analyze the article provided is the humanistic theory of psychology. The humanistic theory of psychology is credited to the works of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. Also known as humanistic psychology, the humanistic approach emphasizes the wholesome individual and focuses majorly on the concepts related to self-actualization, free will, and self-efficacy (Duff, Rubenstein & Prilleltensky, 2016). Humanistic psychology avoids emphasizing on dysfunction, which also characterizes the functionality of many human beings. Due to its optimistic approach, humanistic psychology helps people to maximize their wellbeing as well as fulfilling their potential (Winston, 2016). Therefore, an analysis of the humanistic approach of psychology may be a catalyst to the development of narcissistic personality disorder as it strives to bring out feelings of self-empowerment among individuals. From the case provided, Leonard Anders exhibits the feelings of self-importance, which escalates from the idea of strengthening his free will, self-efficacy, and self-actualization. The feeling of self-importance has, in turn, led to his development of narcissistic personality disorder (Kramer, Pascual-Leone, Rohde & Sachse, 2018). One other trait of the NPD is the desire of the victims to be praised and adored. The trait emanates from their over-emphasis on the victim's free will to the point that he or she does not respect the opinions of others. From a humanistic point of view, however, other factors contribute to the development of the NPD, including the environment in which a person grows (Kramer, Pascual-Leone, Rohde & Sachse, 2018). Humanistic psychology illuminates the case of Leonard Anders in that it provides an overview of an optimistic approach towards the life of human beings. That is to say that an individual can only contract NPD when he or she takes the concepts of self-actualization, free will, and self-efficacy overboard. 

The humanistic theory of psychology offers an alternate understanding of the NPD as an issue related to personality psychology. Usually, the understanding of the significant characteristics of the individuals exhibiting narcissistic personality disorder revolves around their feelings of lack of empathy and self-importance. However, by applying humanistic psychology to analyze the actual narcissism, the theory improves understanding by talking about the need for human beings to focus on themselves. The humanistic theory of psychology is valuable to the case provided in that it elaborates more on the therapeutic approaches that can be used to manage NPD among the victims. Humanistic psychology highlights the importance of applying psychotherapy to the treatment of NPD, which has not been mentioned in the article. The development of humanistic therapy from the psychotherapeutic approaches to NPD has intensified the fight against the comorbid NPD. Humanistic therapy focuses on the personality disorder in the light of an individual rather than as a group of individuals suffering from a condition. Therefore, the humanistic theory of psychology increases the comprehension of the interventions of the narcissistic personality disorder. Additionally, the humanistic theory of psychology has informed the approach of mental health and psychological approaches to NPD and other disorders in other ways. The humanistic movement has laid its robust foundation by influencing the course of psychology and including better approaches to the conditions targeted. The new understanding of human behavior has led to the introduction of state of the art interventions of the narcissistic personality disorder, which has revolutionized psychotherapy. Therefore, the humanistic theory of psychology contributes to the alternate understanding of the NPD by introducing the concept of psychotherapy as a new technique used to handle the condition among human beings. 

Psychodynamic Theory 

The other theory that can be used to analyze the article provided is the psychodynamic theory. The psychodynamic theory is a collection of other psychological theories that mostly talk about the presence of forces and unconscious drives in human functioning (Bornstein, 2018). The psychodynamic approach in personality psychology holds that the childhood experiences and lessons influence the adult life of individuals heavily. Therefore, the childhood experience that a given individual has forms the foundation of the relationships and the personality that the person has. The psychodynamic model in psychology originated from the work of Sigmund Freud and his psychoanalytic theories, and the approaches that were explained by the psychologists that worked together with him (Young-Eisendrath, 2015). Freud first coined the term psychodynamics after dealing with a group of patients who had psychological issues that did not seem to have any biological bases. After a series of studies and experiments, Freud discovered that the psychological conditions among his patients originated from their unconscious will that consistently opposed the conscious will. Therefore, he came up with the term "psychodynamics" to explain the correlation (Young-Eisendrath, 2015). Modern theorists have contributed to the original psychodynamic theory by implying that most of the mental life aspects are unconscious to human beings. In other words, most of the people's emotions, feelings, and thoughts are unknown to them. When they affect the behavior of human beings, thoughts, emotions, and feelings may often lack biological explanations. Modern psychodynamic theorists have also found out that individuals usually experience conflicting emotions and thoughts towards other human beings or situations that they go through since the mental responses occur independently. The autonomy of the mental responses that individuals have against other human beings or situations evokes the contradictory motivations that may lead to the compromise of their emotional lives (Bornstein, 2018). Modern psychodynamic theorists also agree with Freud that personality begins to form in childhood and has an implication on the adult personality and relationships that they form. 

The psychodynamic theory continues to elaborate more on personality psychology, which explains why human beings contract narcissistic personality disorder. The development of NPD, as explained in the provided article, is supported by the psychodynamic theory (Ribeiro, Ribeiro & von Doellinger, 2018). According to Leonard's case, victims of NPD may often find themselves feeling more superior to the other people and hence treat them in a mean way. The feeling of superiority, in this case, develops into a superiority complex. From a psychoanalytic point of view, the superiority complex is a predisposing factor for NPD where an individual promotes the feelings of superiority to conceal the actual feelings of failure and inferiority that they might have. Leonard has felt superior to the other people surrounding him and therefore keeps demanding a lot from them as a characteristic of an individual suffering from NPD (Ribeiro, Ribeiro & von Doellinger, 2018). The psychodynamic theory in psychology, therefore, explains in a better manner how individuals develop NPD and its various signs and symptoms. The value of the psychodynamic theory lies in the explanations that the perspective has for the signs and the development of NPD as a condition that affects the personality psychology of human beings. The explanations provided by psychodynamic theorists of the twenty-first century also point to the individuals' social interactions being a result of the mental comprehension of themselves, the other people, and situations (Ribeiro, Ribeiro & von Doellinger, 2018). Since the mental aspects of lives for the individuals lie in their unconscious, they are mostly unable to control them, which makes them vulnerable to NPD and other personality disorders. The personality development, in the light of the psychodynamic approach, for the individuals with NPD helps them to form interdependent relationships rather than those that are socially dependent and may expose them to the issue of comorbidity with the other personality disorders. 

Trait Theory 

Also known as the dispositional theory, the trait theory of personality primarily focuses on the measurement of traits that define the habitual patterns of behavior, emotion, and thought. According to the dispositional theory, the traits are defined as aspects of personality that differ across individuals, appear relatively stable over a long time, influence the human behavior, and remain consistent in the different situations that people undergo (Hogan & Sherman, 2020). Taking an example of superiority as a trait that has been studied over time, the trait theory explains that the stability of the behavioral patterns that human beings possess. One of the most renowned trait theories is Gordon Allport's trait theory, which was developed in 1936 (Hogan & Sherman, 2020). Gordon Allport classified traits into cardinal, central, and secondary. Cardinal traits are dominant in an individual's life, and most people become known by such behaviors. The central traits are the conventional characteristics that form the foundations of personality. The secondary traits are those that are related to preferences and attitudes. Gordon Allport's trait theory provides an in-depth and alternate understanding of the article provided in that the traits that human beings possess can be divided into various categories. Therefore, an approach to the intervention of Leonard Anders' case could be improved by determining the type of traits that he depicted in NPD (Hogan & Sherman, 2020). Gordon Allport's trait theory provides a valuable analysis of Leonard Anders' case by providing an outline of the categorization of the various behaviors that contribute to personality. Psychologists in the twenty-first century argue that NPD is contributed to by the various traits that relate to the issue. Therefore, it is possible to analyze the narcissistic personality disorder by applying the Gordon Allport's trait theory and its explanations on how the various traits can be divided into categories based on their extent in the lives of the individuals. 

Component 4: Personal Relevance 

A narcissistic personality disorder is on the rise among individuals and continues to pose a threat to humanity as a personality disorder. The story of Leonard Anders regarding NPD is relevant to my life in the line of psychological studies and their connection with human behaviors and the environment that leads to the disorders. For instance, Leonard Anders has been described as a person characterized by self-importance, lacking empathy for the other people and against other people praising him. After battling NPD for a long time, the life of Leonard as a victim can be related to the personality disorders that are classified under the personality psychology. The case of Leonard also highlights the difficulties that the victims of NPD encounter in their attempt to relate to the other people frequently. He made accusations on the other people and developed the habit of being demanding, which compromised his relationships with the rest of the people in his world (Watch This, 2019). The personality theories, such as the psychodynamic, Gordon Allport's trait theory, and the humanistic theory of psychology, have improved the understanding of the narcissistic personality disorder. The humanistic approach in psychology focuses on the realization of positive aspects of humanity, such as self-actualization, free will, and self-realization, which are the values that, if unchecked, may also favor the development of NPD. However, the individuals that suffer from NPD have to understand that the values advocated for by the humanistic perspective of psychology are meaningful to their lives (Fajkowska & Kreitler, 2018). Comprehension reduces the likelihood of misusing advocated values. From a psychodynamic model of psychology's perspective, childhood experiences are essential to the life of a human being. The relevance of the psychodynamic theory in my life lies in the effects of childhood experiences shaping adulthood experiences and relationships with other people. Therefore, the psychodynamic theory improves the overall understanding of the development of NPD as a condition, which affects people and especially adults. 

Gordon Allport's trait theory also bears relevance to my life due to its classification of the traits that are inherent to human beings. Such an analysis would benefit the work of the psychotherapists in the management of NPD as a personality psychology issue (Hogan & Sherman, 2020). Hörz-Sagstetter et al. (2018) provide an analysis of the comorbidity of NPD by focusing on research done to analyze the effects of the NPD on patients that have already been diagnosed with the borderline personality disorder. Their findings indicate that individuals with comorbid NPD and have already been diagnosed with BPD were more at risk of having various personality disorders and criteria than those without comorbid NPD. The aspect of comorbidity is relevant to my life as I get to understand more deeply the various existential behaviors of personality conditions. The understanding of comorbidity among the modern psychological researchers and psychotherapists is relevant to the determination of the most appropriate interventions that can be applied to the people living with a narcissistic personality disorder. The article bearing Leonard's case challenges my old thinking of narcissistic personality disorder. Like most people across the globe, I used to believe that individuals exhibiting narcissistic behavior were the actual narcissists. After analyzing the article, I realized that narcissistic personality disorder is a much more specific condition and is caused by childhood experiences interfering with adult relationships, just like borderline personality disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). After a careful analysis of the article, I also realized that NPD is a rare condition that affects only a tiny portion of the world's population. Contrary to the popular belief that the people exhibiting narcissistic traits suffer from NPD, the actual condition is a disease that requires in-depth medical and psychotherapeutic approaches to treatment. 

The primary research illustrated by Hörz-Sagstetter et al. (2018) has enabled me to form new opinions on the comorbidity of NPD as they analyze the effects of an individual having comorbid NPD in addition to suffering from BPD. Based on the article, the research, and the theories provided, I have had a deeper understanding of life from a psychological approach. Firstly, I have learned that the personality of a human being begins from the time they are a child to the time that they progress towards adulthood. As a result, the experiences that an individual undergoes as a child impacts the kind of adulthood relationships that they form and how they respond to the situations that they go through in their adult life. Secondly, I have had an increment in the understanding that comorbidity is a real issue facing the people living with the various personality disorders, narcissistic personality disorder included. Therefore, I have been able to understand why an individual suffering from NPD may exhibit the other characteristics of personality disorders such as those observed in BPD. The primary concern that I have regarding the article provided is that it provides a shallow elaboration of the interventions available for NPD. In as much as the article has mentioned that therapy could be used as an intervention, the researchers need to expound more on psychotherapy to inform the psychologists on the same. 

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