Chapter 8: Quiz
1. The estimated prevalence of Narcissistic Personality Disorder in the general population is:
- A) 15–25%
- B) 10–15%
- C) 1–6%
- D) Less than 0.1%
Answer: C. Clinical NPD affects approximately 1–6% of the population, with most estimates centering around 1–2%. This is far lower than the prevalence suggested by social media narcissism content.
2. The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for NPD require the pattern to be:
- A) Present only in romantic relationships
- B) Pervasive — consistent, long-standing, and present across multiple areas of life
- C) Triggered only by specific events
- D) Self-reported by the individual
Answer: B. The criteria require a pervasive pattern across multiple contexts, not situational behavior. Having narcissistic traits in some situations is not the same as having NPD.
3. The difference between narcissism as a trait and narcissism as a disorder is:
- A) There is no difference — they are the same thing
- B) Trait narcissism is a normal dimension present in everyone; NPD is a clinical diagnosis at the extreme end with functional impairment
- C) Trait narcissism is more severe than the disorder
- D) The disorder is just a social media term
Answer: B. Everyone has some narcissistic traits. The clinical disorder is diagnosed only at the extreme end of the spectrum and requires pervasive patterns that cause significant impairment.
4. Concept creep, as applied to narcissism, refers to:
- A) The clinical criteria getting stricter over time
- B) The expansion of "narcissist" from a specific clinical concept to a catch-all label for any difficult behavior
- C) Narcissists gradually becoming worse over time
- D) Therapists diagnosing more patients with NPD
Answer: B. Haslam's concept creep describes how clinical terms expand in popular usage to encompass progressively milder experiences, losing precision and trivializing genuine suffering.
5. The "narcissism epidemic" claim by Twenge is best described as:
- A) Definitively proven by multiple independent studies
- B) Contested — some data shows rising NPI scores, but other large-sample studies find no meaningful increase, and methodological critiques question the interpretation
- C) Completely debunked with no supporting evidence
- D) Confirmed by clinical NPD diagnosis rates
Answer: B. The claim is genuinely contested. Twenge found rising NPI scores in some cohorts; Trzesniewski et al. found no change in a different large sample; Roberts et al. raised methodological concerns. The evidence doesn't support the dramatic "epidemic" framing.
6. Why does narcissism content perform so well on social media?
- A) Because NPD is genuinely extremely common
- B) Because it's personally relevant, identifies a villain, positions the viewer as the victim, and generates strong emotions
- C) Because social media algorithms specifically promote clinical psychology content
- D) Because all social media users are narcissists
Answer: B. Narcissism content hits multiple engagement drivers: personal relevance, villain identification, victim positioning, and emotional intensity — all of which drive shares and views regardless of accuracy.
7. Armchair diagnosis of narcissism is problematic because:
- A) It requires no licensing fee
- B) It applies a character-level judgment based on limited information, forecloses relationship repair, and conflates common human behaviors with clinical pathology
- C) It's always 100% accurate
- D) It's only done by licensed professionals
Answer: B. Armchair diagnosis transforms behavioral observations into permanent character judgments, eliminates repair as a possible response, and applies clinical labels to behaviors that may be ordinary selfishness or immaturity.
8. Which of the following behaviors, on its own, would NOT be sufficient to diagnose NPD?
- A) Being selfish during an argument
- B) Wanting attention at a party
- C) Talking about yourself frequently
- D) All of the above — no single behavior is sufficient for diagnosis
Answer: D. NPD requires a pervasive pattern of five or more criteria assessed across multiple contexts. Any single behavior, however unpleasant, is insufficient for diagnosis.
9. When does the "narcissist" label genuinely help someone?
- A) When it's applied to anyone who is difficult
- B) When the behavior genuinely matches the clinical pattern, helps name a pattern of abuse, and motivates seeking professional help
- C) When it ends a relationship
- D) When it makes the labeler feel vindicated
Answer: B. The label is helpful when it accurately identifies a genuine clinical pattern and leads to appropriate professional support — not when it's used as a general-purpose insult or relationship exit strategy.
10. The chapter's key message about narcissism is:
- A) Narcissism doesn't exist
- B) Everyone is a narcissist
- C) Narcissism is real but massively over-applied in popular culture, and the concept creep trivializes genuine narcissistic abuse while pathologizing normal human imperfection
- D) Only psychologists should ever use the word "narcissist"
Answer: C. The chapter validates that narcissism is real and narcissistic abuse causes genuine harm, while arguing that the dramatic over-application of the label on social media distorts the concept and causes its own form of harm.