Grandiosity is one of the most important signs of pathological narcissism, which is also called the Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Every part of a narcissist's personality is affected by grandiose fantasies, also called megalomaniac delusions of grandeur. They are the reason why the narcissist thinks he deserves special treatment that doesn't match up with what he has really done. The Grandiosity Gap is the chasm between the narcissist's self-image (as reified by his False Self) and reality.
When there isn't enough Narcissistic Supply, the narcissist acts out in many different ways. Psychotic micro-episodes happen to narcissists a lot in therapy and when they get hurt in a way that hurts their sense of self-worth. But can a narcissist "go too far?" Do narcissists ever turn out to be crazy?
First, a word or two:
The DSM-IV-TR says that the narrowest definition of psychosis is "restricted to delusions or prominent hallucinations, with the hallucinations happening without any understanding of how they are wrong."
What are hallucinations and delusions?
A delusion is "a false belief based on an incorrect inference about external reality that is strongly held in spite of what almost everyone else thinks and in spite of clear and unarguable proof to the contrary."
A hallucination is a "sensory perception that has the strong sense of reality of a real perception but happens when the relevant sensory organ is not stimulated from the outside."
Even so, the narcissist has a tenuous grasp on reality (narcissists sometimes fail the reality test). Even so, narcissists often seem to believe the lies they tell themselves. They don't know that their self-delusions are pathological or where they come from, so they are technically delusional (though they rarely suffer from hallucinations, disorganised speech, or disorganised or catatonic behaviour). Narcissists seem to be crazy in the strictest sense of the word.
But the truth is that they are not. "Losing it" is not the same as harmless self-deception or even malicious con-artistry that has been going on for a long time.
Pathological narcissism is not a form of psychosis because:
Most of the time, narcissists know the difference between true and false, real and made-up, made-up and real, and right and wrong. The narcissist chooses to believe only one version of what happened, a story that makes them look good, a fairy-tale life, or a "what-if" life. He has a lot of feelings about his personal myth. The narcissist feels better when things are made up than when they are real, but he never forgets that it is all made up.
The narcissist is always in full control of himself, aware of his choices, and focused on his goals. He acts on purpose and in a certain way. He is a manipulator, and his crazy ideas help him pull off his plans. Because of this, he can change his looks, behaviour, and beliefs like a chameleon.
Narcissistic delusions rarely last when there is a lot of evidence to the contrary and the whole world is against them. The narcissist usually tries to get everyone around him or her to see things his way. He tries to get his closest friends and family to agree with his delusional False Self. But if he doesn't get the job, he changes his profile on the spot. He "learns by ear." His False Self is made up on the spot. It is a permanent work of art that is constantly rebuilt in a looping process based on intricate and complex feedback loops.
Even though a narcissistic person has a rigid personality, the way they act is always changing. Narcissists are always coming up with new ideas about themselves and changing the way they use Narcissistic Supply to fit the "marketplace" and the needs of their "suppliers." As performers, they connect with their "audience" and give it what it wants and expects. They are effective tools for getting reactions from people and using them.
Narcissists have no loyalties, values, doctrines, beliefs, affiliations, or convictions because of this never-ending process of fine tuning. Their only limit is that they need people's attention, whether it's good or bad.
Psychotics, on the other hand, are stuck on one way of seeing the world and their place in it. They don't care about any information that might show how wrong they are. Over time, they start to hide away in the dark corners of their troubled minds and stop functioning properly.
Narcissists can't shut out the world because they depend so much on it to keep their unstable sense of self-worth in check. Because they depend on it so much, they are very sensitive and always on the lookout for new information. They are always busy rearranging their ego-synching self-delusions to make room for new information.
This is why Narcissistic Personality Disorder is not enough to claim "diminished capacity," which is another word for "insanity." Narcissists are always in touch with reality. They want it, need it, and eat it to keep their disorganised, borderline-psychotic personalities from falling apart. Even the weirdest narcissists know right from wrong, do things on purpose, and have full control over their minds and bodies.
