The narcissistic personality disorder and the differential diagnosis of antisocial behavior

Abstract

This article describes a dimension of antisocial behavior that links the narcissistic personality disorder with the antisocial personality disorder, with the syndrome of malignant narcissism as intermediate between the two. Starting with a critique of the DSM-III-R description of the antisocial personality disorder, the author reviews some salient contributions to the concept of the antisocial personality disorder derived from descriptive, sociologic, and psychoanalytic viewpoints. Cleckley's classic description forms the historical background for an updated description of the key characteristics of the antisocial personality disorder. What follows is a summary of the differential diagnosis of antisocial behavior as found in the antisocial personality disorder, the syndrome of malignant narcissism, the narcissistic personality disorders with antisocial behaviors, other severe personality disorders with antisocial features, neurotic personality disorders with antisocial features, symptomatic neuroses, and, finally, dissocial reactions. Prognostic and therapeutic considerations regarding the treatment of antisocial behavior are briefly summarized in the light of this differential diagnosis. A final section describes the psychodynamics of the syndrome of malignant narcissism and of the antisocial personality disorder.