Introduction
This essay seeks to profoundly discuss the concept of Narcissistic Personality Disorder and the correlation between Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and assault. In addition, the essay will articulate the three traits of NPD, such as grandiosity, a need for excessive admiration, and a lack of empathy for others, by exploring how they are correlated with assault.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a mental condition described by grandiose beliefs and behaviors, a desire to receive excessive admiration from others, and a lack of empathy for others (Yakeley, 2018). NPD is also characterized by an inability to empathize with other people’s experiences. Individuals suffering from NPD frequently battle feelings of unworthiness, hatred, and anger toward others. They may exhibit behaviors such as manipulation and control to obtain praise from those around them. In addition, they tend to be quite self-centered and may have trouble developing lasting connections with other individuals (Ronningstam, 2020). Assault is a criminal offense that occurs when one person causes physical harm to another person without first obtaining their consent. It might be anything from physical violence to verbal abuse and intimidation, but the end consequence for the victim would be severe physical and emotional anguish, including rape (Haskell & Randall, 2019). Those with narcissistic personality disorder frequently exhibit characteristics such as grandiosity, an overwhelming need for praise, and a lack of empathy for others. Individuals who suffer from NPD may have a greater propensity to engage in violent activity because they may have a strong need to be admired and may view themselves as more capable than others. They may also be incapable of feeling empathy for the people they have wronged, which makes them more willing to commit crimes without fear of repercussions.
The prevalence of non-psychotic disorders is approximately 6%, whereas the prevalence of assault is approximately 1%. Even though the incidence of NPD is significantly more common than that of assault, there is still a significant association between the two. According to several studies, individuals with NPD are more prone to engage in violent activity than individuals who do not have the illness (Kacel et al., 2017). Therefore, investigating the possible relationships between Narcissistic Personality Disorder and violent behavior is essential to consider. A deeper understanding of the characteristics of people who have NPD and the dangers posed by those who suffer from this condition can inform preventative efforts and provide victims of assault with improved support. It is also crucial to acknowledge that people with NPD can receive treatment and that full recovery is possible and likely. Those with NPD can learn to take control of their thoughts and behaviors and lead healthier and more rewarding lives if they receive the appropriate treatment.
Correlation of Traits and Crime
Grandiosity Trait and Assault
Grandiosity is a character related to Narcissistic Personality. It refers to an inflated perception of one’s significance, authority, intelligence, and personality. Grandiosity is one of the defining characteristics of NPD, and it can present itself in a variety of different ways. Grandiose people have a strong desire for admiration and attention, and they frequently engage in acts designed to attract that admiration and attention to themselves (Oltmanns & Widiger, 2018). Behaviors such as violence, anger, and assaultiveness are sometimes seen in people with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). This quality has been connected to various unfavorable outcomes, including criminal activity. In particular, research has pointed to a connection between grandiosity and violent offenses like assault.
To begin, there is a very clear correlation between grandiosity and aggressive behavior. Those who exhibit grandiose features are more prone to engage in aggressive and violent behavior compared to people who do not exhibit grandiose traits. This is especially true when the grandiose individual believes they have been treated disrespectfully or wrongly. In other words, those with an inflated feeling of self-importance are more inclined to act aggressively when their sense of superiority and privilege is questioned (Oltmanns & Widiger, 2018). This can occur in verbal aggression, physical abuse, or other expressions. To illustrate, research showed that grandiose people are more likely to assault someone after being insulted or provoked than people who are not grandiose. This is illustrated by the situation of a man with a high rank and a grandiose attitude who was publicly humiliated by a coworker at our place of employment. The man’s colleague had a fractured nose and needed numerous stitches after being hit in the face by the gentleman, who had become furious. This scenario demonstrates how grandiosity can lead to violent outbreaks when an individual perceives a threat to their status or supremacy.
Moreover, grandiosity is a potential risk for domestic violence between intimate partners (IPV). Those who are grandiose are more prone to engage in intimate partner violence (IPV) than people who are not grandiose. This is most likely related to the fact that people with a grandiose feeling of self-importance are more prone to an inflated sense of entitlement and power. This feeling of being entitled can result in disrespect for the feelings and rights of other people (Green et al., 2020). Those who are full of themselves may have the mistaken belief that they are the right to special privileges, and as a result, they may resort to violence to coerce, threaten, or control others to get what they want. As a result, they may be more likely to resort to controlling behaviors or physical violence in order to have their way in a romantic partnership. For instance, in our neighborhood, a self-righteous man started becoming more possessive and envious of his wife as time passed. When she tried to stand up to him, he resorted to physical force and began to cut her off from her household and other loved ones. He used to beat her up regularly by punching and kicking her, and he even threatened to kill her if she ever left him. This case depicts how grandiosity may lead to violent habits in romantic relationships, as the man’s drive to maintain his authority and dominance over his wife led to physical aggressiveness. This example proves how grandiosity can lead to violent actions in interpersonal interactions (Crisp et al., 2020).
In addition, grandiosity can also be a component in violence committed by one stranger against another. Grandiose people are more likely to be the aggressors in conflicts between strangers that involve physical violence than non-grandiose people are. This was found to be the case in the majority of the studies. This gives credibility to the hypothesis that grandiosity can be a major risk for violent behavior, even when the perpetrator is unfamiliar with the victim (Ronningstam, 2020). To illustrate, during a sports function at our institution, an arrogant student who is also one of my classmates fought with another student who was there alone. The woman’s level of frustration continued to rise until she finally punched the unfamiliar student in the face, causing him to sustain serious injuries to his shoulder and stomach. As a result, this illustration demonstrates how grandiosity can escalate to physical violence, even when the aggressor and the victim have never interacted.
Lack of Empathy for Other People Trait and Assault
Empathy is the capacity to detect, comprehend, and identify with the emotions of another individual. It is the capacity to understand the world from another person’s viewpoint by imagining yourself in their position and viewing events through their eyes. It is necessary for comprehending other people, making connections with them, and communicating with them. A significant link exists between the personality feature associated with narcissistic personality disorder and an inability to empathize with other people’s experiences (NPD). Those who suffer from NPD frequently lack empathy and compassion for the people around them, and this deficiency can result in undesirable outcomes. One of the most significant of these is an elevated likelihood of being a victim of an assault offense.
To begin, empathy is a crucial component in comprehending the actions of those with NPD. However, individuals who are lacking in the capacity for empathy have a greater propensity to participate in criminal behavior, particularly violent crimes. This is because they are unable to perceive the thoughts and feelings of other people and, as a result, may be unable to sympathize with the people hurt by their actions (Zych et al., 2019). These individuals are not aware of the misery and distress that they have brought to others as a result of their acts; rather, they are preoccupied with satisfying their own requirements and desires. This lack of empathy can lead to increased aggression, since the individual in question may be unresponsive to any repercussions for their behavior or consider any of those consequences as valid. For instance, a student diagnosed with NPD at our school fought with some of his classmates and tried to assault them physically, even though the other students were happy for him to cease the fight. Nonetheless, the student was unable to connect with the other student’s feelings and continued to behave aggressively until he was physically restrained. This continued until the student was expelled from the class.
Second, individuals with NPD may also have trouble understanding and regulating their emotions, which can lead to them acting aggressively and engaging in other kinds of aggressive behavior. This can be a contributing factor to both of these problems. This is because they frequently struggle to recognize their own emotions and sensations, and as a result, they may not be able to effectively control those feelings and emotions in a way that is good for them (Bilotta et al., 2018). For instance, while confronting his feelings, one of my colleagues who struggles with NPD reached a point where he felt completely overwhelmed. Because of this, he lashed out at me in an effort to make himself feel better, which led to the development of our argument and caused me to sustain an injury to my leg.
Thirdly, a lack of empathy can also be associated with an absence of impulse control, which can drive a person with NPD to engage in aggressive behaviors. These behaviors can result in physical harm to others. This may be because they cannot notice the outcomes of their actions and may also lack the ability to control their impulses in the present time. Some individuals with NPD get into violent altercations with other people, even in public areas, and they do so without considering the potential repercussions of their conduct (Bilotta et al., 2018). For instance, my neighbor, who was a member of the NPD, got into a physical conflict with one of the business people who was attempting to mediate a land issue between him and another party. My neighbor could not sympathize with the trader’s concerns and acted harshly until the trader phoned the police. Despite the trader’s repeated requests for him to stop, my neighbor did not comply.
Fourthly, a lack of empathy can also be associated with an absence of a sense of right and wrong, which can drive a person with NPD to engage in a criminal act. This is one of the potential consequences of having NPD. This could be because they cannot differentiate between right and wrong, or they are unaware of the harm they are causing to other people (Zych et al., 2019). In particular, three of my coworkers with NPD decided to steal some money set aside for the firm’s expenditures and vandalize some of the company’s possessions without considering the implications of their conduct. This occurred at my place of employment.
An Overwhelming Need for Admiration Trait and Assault
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a mental illness that impairs people’s ability to reason, feel, and act with healthy functioning consistently. Individuals who suffer from NPD frequently have an excessive desire for admiration, act grandiosely, and lack empathy for other people’s experiences. This can lead to various socially inappropriate acts, including physical violence.
The first thing that should be considered is the need for admiration and attention that people with NPD have. Individuals who suffer from NPD have an unhealthy preoccupation with gaining the attention and admiration of those in their immediate environment. They frequently have an inflated opinion of themselves, thinking they are better than everyone else and expecting others to acknowledge it. They have a grandiose vision of themselves (Perrotta, 2020). They experience frustration and anger whenever they do not receive the admiration and attention they believe they are entitled to. Because of this, some people may resort to aggressive acts to receive the attention they crave. For instance, some of my coworkers who suffer from NPD frequently resort to verbal and physical abuse of students to garner the attention and admiration of those classmates.
Second, people with NPD may engage in risky behavior to attract attention. They frequently have a fragile sense of self-esteem and depend on the admiration of others to strengthen their conviction that they are worthy of admiration. They might engage in behavior that is considered to be socially inappropriate, such as hitting someone in order to demonstrate their superior power and strength, in the hopes of attracting attention and adoration (Perrotta, 2020). They may do this to win the notice and admiration of individuals in their immediate environment. As a consequence, individuals perceive that they are losing control, which motivates them to resort to aggressive behavior, whether verbal or physical.
The third consideration is that people with NPD are more likely to resort to aggressive behavior when provoked or feel threatened. They usually struggle to maintain control over their emotions; as a result, when they perceive that they are being threatened or challenged, they may react aggressively or violently. For instance, if a person with NPD has the impression that someone is calling into question their dominance or authority, they may respond with aggressive behavior, either physically or verbally.
The fourth point to consider is that NPD individuals are more inclined to engage in acts of violent attacks. Individuals who suffer from NPD usually have a robust sense of entitlement, the conviction that they are entitled to privileged treatment and respect from those in their immediate environment (Bushman, 2018). They might strike out in anger and revenge if they perceive not receiving the attention and praise they believe they deserve. This could lead to them becoming furious in the first place, leading to an increased chance of attack, since the individual at issue may feel as though they need to resort to violence to receive the recognition they believe they are due.
The fifth consideration is that people with NPD may resort to physical aggression to assert control over the situation. Individuals who have NPD often have the experience of needing to keep a sense of control over their surroundings. If they believe this sense of control is endangered, they may respond with abusive behavior. If these people believe they are losing control of the situation, they may resort to aggressive physical or verbal behavior to restore control. In addition, they could have a distorted perception of the world around them and think their behaviors are acceptable. Individuals who suffer from NPD frequently have an inaccurate perception of the world around them and may have the mistaken belief that their acts are acceptable, even though this is not the case. This could cause them to develop a sense of entitlement and the assumption that they are obligated to admiration and adoration, which can lead to illegal actions such as assault (Perrotta, 2020). For instance, they may mistakenly believe they have the right to abuse another person because they assume they deserve the praise they believe they deserve.
Conclusion
The study examines the relationship between certain personality qualities and criminal activity, focusing mainly on self-importance, an absence of empathy, and an overpowering need for admiration. The research focuses specifically on assault crimes. According to various research investigations, people with grandiose features are significantly more prone to engage in aggressive and violent behavior whenever they feel that they have been treated unfairly or disrespectfully. Grandiosity is a risk factor for intimate relationship violence and violence committed by a stranger against another stranger. On the other hand, those suffering from NPD frequently lack empathy and sympathy for the people around them, leading to a higher risk of committing violent crimes. They might not be able to perceive the thoughts and feelings that other people are experiencing, and they could have trouble comprehending and controlling their sentiments. Moreover, people with NPD frequently have an excessive desire for attention and appreciation, and as a consequence of this, they may be more inclined to engage in violent criminal behavior. They may be more emotional, have difficulties managing interactions, and have a distorted perception of reality, all of which can contribute to criminal activities.
This research is essential because it gives insight into the psychological and personality aspects contributing to aggressive and criminal behavior. It is necessary to recognize these characteristics to design successful treatments and preventative measures. In addition, having a better understanding of these risk variables can assist law enforcement authorities in protecting public safety and reducing the incidence of crime. However, there are restrictions placed on this research. Most of the research described in this essay is correlational, meaning that we cannot deduce that one causes the other. The research is further hampered by the fact that personality traits are hard to measure, and self-report assessments may not correctly reflect an individual’s genuine personality, which is another limitation. In addition, the studies primarily concentrate on particular personality characteristics and the connection between the two; they do not consider other aspects, such as the effects of environmental and social circumstances.
It would be beneficial to perform longitudinal research in the future to study the causal association between personality factors and criminal behavior. Researchers would then be able to design effective techniques for preventing violent and criminal conduct by identifying the particular risk factors that lead to the development of these behaviors. In addition, it would be helpful to perform research that studies the efficacy of interventions and treatments for people with personality disorders such as NPD, as this may assist in lowering the threat of violent actions.
References
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