Narcissism at Work

Personality Disorders of Corporate Leaders

Marie-Line Germain

• Éditeur: Palgrave Macmillan
• Année: 2017
• ISBN:
  9783319603308
• Sujet: Business
• Sous-sujet: Gestione delle risorse umane

This book explores the damaging effects of personality disorders in corporate leaders, particularly in regard to organizational variables including employee productivity, motivation, well-being, retention, and ultimately, the organization's bottom line. While helping employees recognize and understand the overt and covert characteristics of malignant narcissism, Narcissism at Work offers solutions and coping strategies vital for employees, industrial psychologists, human resource professionals, and organizational leaders in order to optimize business functions and increase employee well-being.

© The Author(s) 2018

Marie-Line GermainNarcissism at Workhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60330-8_1

Begin Abstract

1. Introduction

Marie-Line Germain¹

(1)

Western Carolina University, Asheville, NC, USA

Marie-Line Germain

Email: [email protected]

Abstract

Germain presents a much-needed summary of the research on personality disorders of corporate leaders, while offering practical advice for the people who work with them. Focusing on the behaviors of leaders with observable Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), the chapter strives to assist human resource (HR) professionals, managers, and employees in achieving a broad understanding of NPD, in order for employees to optimize relationships and advance their own careers.

Keywords

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) behaviorsWork relationshipsCareer

End Abstract

Inflated self-worth and a sense of entitlement have become pervasive in American youth (Twenge and Campbell 2009). Singers, actors, and other celebrities often express a highly exaggerated self-image, which may be perceived by youth as expected and desirable. The cult of celebrity can harm teenagers as they grow up in a world where being rich and famous is viewed as the highest achievement (Burgo 2015)—particularly when their parents expect them to be social winners. Celebrity worship encourages teens’ inherent narcissistic tendencies, offering an escape from their own shortcomings and, possibly, their own sense of shame. They come to associate fame with happiness and become convinced that those with talent, or perceived talent, will achieve success. Yet, narcissists are incapable of attaining and maintaining high professional goals unless they are focused, determined, hardworking, and gifted with charm.

Narcissism continues to be studied in a variety of contexts, including clinical psychology, organizational and social psychology, and corporate management. The exponential number of articles published since 1980 in scholarly journals on the topic of personality disorders and their impact in the workplace reveals the increasing interest and prominence of study in this field.

Table 1.1 shows the increase of research articles published in all medical journals combined from 1980 forward. In the past 36 years, articles related to the topic of narcissism increased by 75%, while those related to bullying show an increase of 1384%.

Table 1.1

Google scholar publications by search term (Search results as of September 25, 2016)

Years of publication	Search term
	Psychopathy	Narcissism	Personality disorder	Bullying
1980–1989	2930	14,000	48,300	5840
1990–1999	5460	23,100	140,000	16,500
2000–2009	15,300	30,900	799,000	95,400
2010–Sept 2016	17,000	24,500	320,000	86,700
Percentage increase 1980–2016	480%	75%	562%	1384%

Table 1.2 demonstrates a 101,000% increase in the number of research articles during that same 36-year period through the search engine MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, or MEDLARS Online), a bibliographic database of life sciences and biomedical information.

Table 1.2

MEDLINE publications by search term (Search results as of October 3, 2016)

Years of publication	Search term
	Psychopathy	Narcissism	Personality disorder	Bullying
1980–1989	145	705	9059	3
1990–1999	217	468	17,493	101
2000–2009	760	484	20,762	858
2010–Sept 2016	1128	641	15,876	3033
Percentage increase 1980–2016	678%	−9%	75%	101,000%

Table 1.3 shows the number of articles published in the abstract and index database ProQuest, which provides sources for researchers. From 1980 forward, the number of sources related to narcissism , specifically, has increased by 2406% and for the search term “personality disorders” by 3030%.

Table 1.3

ProQuest publications by search term (Search results as of September 25, 2016)

Years of publication	Search term
	Psychopathy and workplace and employee	Narcissism and workplace and employee	Personality disorder and workplace and employee	Bullying and workplace and employee
1980–1989	10	126	476	428
1990–1999	71	859	5223	5021
2000–2009	650	2830	18,341	28,817
2010–Sept 2016	691	3158	14,900	46,309
Percentage increase 1980–2016	6810%	2406%	3030%	10,719%

This sharp increase in scholarly articles focused on narcissism mirrors the well-documented development of this personality disorder in Western cultures. Some have labeled narcissism a “modern epidemic,” pointing to the rapid change in society that occurred in industrial and post-industrial times as the cause (The Conversation 2016). The past three decades have witnessed a societal shift from a commitment to the collective to a focus on the individual or the self. The self-esteem movement was an important turning point in this. It determined that self-esteem was the key to success in life. Educators and parents began telling each child how special and unique he or she is, in order to make each feel more confident. Educators and parents moved to “confer” self-esteem upon their children, rather than letting them achieve it through hard work.

The rise of individualism (with its focus on the self and one’s inner feelings) and the decline in social norms that accompanied the modernization of society mean that the community and the family are no longer able to provide the same support for individuals as they once did. Research has shown that being embedded in social networks—such as being actively engaged in your community and connected with friends and family—has major health benefits.

As the social fabric deteriorated, it became much harder to meet the basic need for meaningful connection. The question moved from “what is best for others” to “what is best for me.” The modernization of society seemingly prizes fame, wealth, and celebrity above all else. All this, combined with the breakdown in social ties created an “empty self, shorn of social meaning.”

In addition, the increased use of social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, is further changing the way free time is spent and communication with others is pursued. Today, there are nearly 1.13 billion daily active Facebook users worldwide. Internet addiction is a new area of study in mental health, and recent cross-sectional research shows that addiction to Facebook is strongly linked to narcissistic behavior and low self-esteem (Malik and Khan 2015).

While narcissism among young people is better researched, the impact narcissistic individuals have on a corporate organization, in general, and on their colleagues, ...

Table des matières

• Cover
• Frontmatter
• 1. Introduction
• 1. Research Background and Definitions
• 2. Understanding NPD Corporate Leaders
• 3. Practice: Practical Solutions for Those Who Work with NPD Corporate Leaders
• 4. Case Studies and Proposed Solutions
• Backmatter