YourTango is your community for love, sex, dating, and relationship advice. Community | Feedback
User login
  1. I forgot my password!
Logging you in, please wait...
Login Sign Up

Are You Narcissistic?

Dr. Drew Pinsky thinks he's created the perfect tool for gauging a narcissistic personality.

Being called "narcissistic"—stemming from the Greek mythical character Narcissus who fell in love with his own reflection—isn't necessarily the most flowery of compliments. One automatically thinks of the guy who uses a spoon to gaze at his reflection during brunch, or the chick who can't bear to leave the house without a throng of male admirers—or any other combination of self-bloated annoyingness. Throw a rock hard enough and you'll find one (or twenty).

On an even deeper level, a Narcissistic Personality Disorder is described by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a "pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a lack of empathy." Some very obvious examples would be Kanye West calling himself God's vessel and Kimora Lee Simmons wading her way through a thick stack of Russell Simmons' money. Those two could probably serve as the manual's case studies, with visuals and videos as study aids.

It isn't surprising that larger than life celebrities are the first to come to mind when thinking of narcissism. Just ask Dr. Drew Pinsky (you know him—Dr. Drew, of LoveLine and Celebrity Rehab fame) who penned the book, The Mirror Effect, How Celebrity Narcissism Is Seducing America. He and co-author S. Mark Young have devised a tool called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory for all of you out there wondering if you have a secret Narcissus living inside your head.

Out of 40 questions, and a point given for each narcissistic answer, Dr Drew has found 15.3 the average of the general public and 17.8 for celebrities. Of course, this just reinforces Dr. Drew's celebrity narcissism theory.

We took the test, and scored a modest 14 (go us!) but actually found ourselves wishing we had a bit more of this ego Dr. Drew speaks of. Indeed, as with most things, there is a thin line between having a healthy amount of self sufficiency (one of the narcissistic traits) and an obscene need to look in the mirror every 10 minutes.

See how you score.

Can you relate?

Discussion

phenix07 Taken
Posted April 9, 2009

Hmm... I took it and got a 2. Anyways, it's kinda hilarious that Dr. Drew came up with this - talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

Score: 0

You need to be logged in to do that!

Login or sign up now - it's fun, easy, and free. We'll keep your seat warm for you!
kristinvm Single
Posted March 19, 2009

I hate personality tests where you have to pick one extreme or the other for each question. I'm always somewhere in between.

Score: 0
been uesed for my money Married Be honest with yourself
Posted March 19, 2009

My score would have been 8 if I had read the questions more closely. As it is I scored 10. I guess I need to work on being a better narcissis.

Score: 0
Tom Single
Posted March 19, 2009

Sort of presumptuous on Dr. Drew's part. He must really be arrogant or really into himself to thing he can get away with this.

Score: 0
Posted March 18, 2009

very curious about the test. intriguing find!

Score: 0

Join the Discussion!

Login or sign up now - it's fun, easy, and free. We'll keep your seat warm for you!

Custom Newsletter 2

Partner Widget

Recommended for You

Login or Sign Up for a personalized YouTango experience.
See all or Ask your own question!