Narcissistic Pathology as Core Personality Dysfunction: Comparing the DSM‐IV and the DSM‐5 Proposal for Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Abstract
Narcissistic personality disorder and related concepts have a complex history and have been subject to extensive theoretical discourse but relatively little empirical research. An initial proposal for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) that suggested eliminating this disorder as a discrete personality disorder type met with considerable controversy that ultimately led to its reinstatement in subsequent proposals. Nonetheless, the DSM-5 proposal for personality disorders as a whole would involve a significantly different formulation of narcissistic personality from that described in DSM-IV-one that places a greater emphasis on shared deficits among all personality disorders that tap elements thought to fall on the narcissistic spectrum, such as deficits in empathic capacity. This article describes this revised formulation, and presents a case study that illustrates the similarities and differences in the DSM-IV and proposed DSM-5 portrayal of narcissistic issues and related clinical problems over the course of a particular treatment.
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The decision to exclude some PDs was purportedly made to reduce co-occurrence among the PDs and because some literature bases were viewed as small.
“Although the decision to exclude some PDs was purportedly made to reduce co-occurrence among the PDs and because some literature bases were viewed as small (Blashfield & Intoccia 2000, Morey & Stagner 2012), these decisions were widely criticized by some members of the workgroup (Livesley 2013, Krueger 2013) and researchers in the field (Blashfield & Reynolds 2012, Miller et al. 2010b, Widiger 201”
From Controversies in Narcissism (2017) · cites this paper as Morey & Stagner 2012
The requirement that all manifestations share certain trait elevations would ensure that different presentations overlap to a greater degree and would likely improve the discriminant validity of vulnerable narcissism by making it less of a general and diffuse marker of psychopathology.
“The requirement that all manifestations share certain trait elevations would ensure that these different presentations overlap to a greater degree and would likely improve the discriminant validity of vulnerable narcissism by making it less of a general and diffuse marker of psychopathology (Morey & Stagner 2012).”
From Controversies in Narcissism (2017) · cites this paper as Morey & Stagner 2012
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- Authors
- Morey, L. C., & Stagner, B. H.
- Affiliations
- Texas A&M University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Morey, Leslie C.
- Venue
- Journal of Clinical Psychology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2012-06-21
- Volume
- 68
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 908-921
- ISSN
- 0021-9762 (ISSN-L)
- 1097-4679
- OpenAlex
- W1512810241
- Cited by
- 41
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 6.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Clinical Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Keywords
- narcissistic personality disorder, narcissistic pathology, DSM-5, DSM-IV, personality disorders, diagnostic classification, psychotherapy
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Female, Humans, Narcissism, Personality Disorders, Prognosis, Psychotherapy, Treatment Outcome, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
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