Pathological narcissism is a fortress built against unbearable pain. Some fortresses are sculpted from glass, some hewn from granite. My six-tier spectrum elucidates these architectures.

Pathological narcissism can take countless shapes depending on the relative strengths of all the stabilizing and destabilizing factors: My previous article in this sequence lists these factors. I will reference it frequently in this one.

My chosen metaphor is that of a fortress, which represents the protective purpose of the false self. Other metaphors that I considered were that of hermit crabs who find shells of different materials (some smooth, some spiky) to protect themselves, or that of a diving suit that is vital for a diver underwater but needlessly restricts them on land. I’ve chosen the crab for the illustrations because cute.

A single person with narcissistic personality disorder – I’ll call them a castellan – usually finds themselves somewhere on this spectrum [...]

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First published:
October 12th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/tHrxTREAeck46TSqH/the-narcissistic-spectrum

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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Images from the article:

Cute hermit crab discovers different shells on a sunset beach.

Cartoon crab on rock amid stormy waves and dark clouds.

Cartoon hermit crab with googly eyes in glass shell-shaped home.

Cute cartoon hermit crab with ornate golden shell atop sandcastle.

Menacing armored crab creature with glowing red eyes in dark cave.

Hermit crab wearing metallic armor shell, surrounded by small fish underwater.

Cartoon hermit crab on beach with large eyes, dramatic sunlit clouds.

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“The Narcissistic Spectrum” by Dawn Drescher

LessWrong (30+ Karma)