“Narcissism” is one of those words thrown around by envious people to insult high self-esteem people. Unfortunately, even though there’s a psychiatric definition, it’s so vague that it could be interpreted to classify anyone into Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

• Grandiose self-importance.

• Fantasies of infinite success, control, brilliance, beauty, or idyllic love.

• Thoughts of being extraordinary & exceptional.

• A desire for admiration.

Those are symptoms of euphoria which everybody does and should experience occasionally. Criteria as general as those are useless. People who actually have lived around a narcissist are the best diagnosticians, and their list of symptoms is much more specific:

• Feel superior & entitled.

• Exaggerated need for attention & validation.

• Perfectionism.

• Great need for control.

• Lack of responsibility: blaming & deflecting.

• Lack of boundaries: cajoling, demanding, rejecting & pouting to get what they want.

• Emotional reasoning that places their desires first.

• Take credit for the good and blame the bad on others.

The most concerning thing about true narcissists is that they are incapable of changing.