Today in psychological studies from the New York Post, there’s an intriguing exploration of how full of yourself you must be if you live in New York City. Because a person can’t, just, like, move here for a job or something. Anyway, according to the Post, “There is reason to believe that New York City may have a higher level of people with narcissistic personality disorder than other cities,” says Frank Yeomans, director of training at the Personality Disorders Institute of Weill Medical College.
Here’s how to tell if you’re a rabid narcissist New Yorker like Bernie Madoff (except he’s really probably a sociopath) or Lady Gaga (except she’s really just super-famous), in just nine questions. It’s the easiest “therapy” that you will ever have the extensive pleasure of being associated with you! If you answer yes to five of the following, from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV, you may suffer from narcissistic personality disorder:
* Do you have a grandiose sense of self-importance?
* Are you preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love?
* Do you believe that you are special and unique?
* Do you require excessive admiration?
* Do you have a sense of entitlement?
* Are you inter-personally exploitative?
* Do you lack empathy?
* Are you often envious of others?
* Do you exhibit arrogance and/or haughty behaviors or attitudes?
Yes? Pat yourself on the back, you’re a narcissist! And you deserve it! Some other things you might do as a narcissist (this is not a professional diagnosis):
Of course, all of this kind of makes us wonder, if you’re not a little bit of a narcissist, why are you here in the first place? You must be miserable!
All about me! [NYP]
This article from the Village Voice Archive was posted on May 17, 2011