From ... in Personal Development Psychology — Aug 1, 2019

6 Things That Make a Female Narcissist Different from a Male One

Narcissism is common across the genders, but is there a difference between a male and a female narcissist? You would think that there are shared narcissistic traits for both male and female narcissists, but, in actual fact, there are some interesting differences. However, before we go on to explore these differences, let’s just recap on the main aspects of narcissism: So how does a female narcissist differ from a male one? One study examined data from over 470,000 college students over time. It looked at three crucial aspects of narcissism to see if there were any differences between male and female narcissists: Although men are more likely to exhibit narcissistic traits than women, the study showed there are clear differences in scores for genders across the categories.

The study found the largest difference in the exploitative/entitlement trait with men more likely to exploit others and feel entitled than females. Men also ranked higher than females in the leadership/authority trait. However, there was no difference at all in the grandiose/exhibitionism trait. “Compared with women, men exhibit more assertiveness and desire for power, says, but there was no difference in the exhibitionism aspect, meaning both genders are equally likely to display vanity or self-absorption.” Emily Grijalva – study author This study shows the main differences between a female narcissist and her male counterpart. However, there are other, more subtle ways that the two differ. If you think about it, it stands to reason that there will be differences. Different things matter to men and women. Men are interested in power, status, money, and achievements. On the other hand, women value appearances, security, and bagging the best partners. I am being very broad here, but it all goes back to evolution. Thousands of years ago, men had to be better, stronger and have leadership status in order to bag the most desirable women to produce their offspring.

The women were looking for the strongest men to father and protect their children. Women, therefore, had to be beautiful and desirable. So these traits now filter down through the years into a personality disorder and split into each gender. Narcissist men, who believe they are the best, will think they are leaders, they have the status, the power, the money, everything their peers recognise as being worthy of having. A female narcissist will value beauty, the best husband, the cleverest children, the nicest house, everything her peers value. So let’s drill down a little deeper and examine the finer details of the female narcissist. What makes her tick? Both male and female narcissists pay attention to their appearance, but females value it more than males. Men tend to use their appearance as a package alongside their charm to beguile their victims. A female narcissist uses her beauty to get one up on her rivals.

They want to be the best and being the prettiest, the most beautiful is what society values now. Men are not really that interested in children, but females see them as a way of boosting their own profile and status. Children are pawns in their narcissistic mother’s game.

They are status symbols, to be used and shown off as competition against other children. Having children that go to the best grammar schools, that attain the best grades and marks all reflect well on the female narcissist. Male narcissists have an inbred sense of confidence.

Their self-esteem comes from within, deluded as this might be. Conversely, females get theirs from feeling superior over others. Female narcissists feel confident when they compare their achievements with others who have failed or are beneath them on the social scale. This means their sense of self-worth can, at times, be shaky and inconsistent. Female narcissists use guilt as a form of control, particularly when it comes to family members like their own children. Men, on the other hand, will use their power and status to frighten people into doing what they want. Both men and women will blow up without warning and have tantrums or violent outbursts. However, women use guilt to make people feel sorry for them and men use aggression to make people feel scared of them. Female narcissists are more frivolous when it comes to spending money than their male counterparts. Men believe that money gives them power and status so they like to hold onto it. Women, however, like to splash the cash. For them, having money to spend whenever they want gives them a sense of status and makes them feel special. No narcissist ever has true friends, but male and female narcissists treat their ‘so-called friends’ very differently. Men view their friends as rivals or competition they need to beat at all times.

They will blatantly compete against them in order to win. Women use their friends to manipulate a situation to get what they want in a more underhand way. So, are we any closer to understanding why there are differences between a male and a female narcissist? The study raises some interesting points. Grijalva suggests it is all to do with the genders themselves. Society dictates which traits to encourage in women, i.e. subservience, politeness and a meek attitude. In men we encourage strong leadership and a sense of authority. “Individuals tend to observe and learn gender roles from a young age, and may face backlash for deviating from society’s expectations,” says Grijalva. “In particular, women often receive harsh criticism for being aggressive or authoritative.” It seems that the very traits we admire in men and women are reflected in male and female narcissistic traits. Until we start encouraging different traits that are more altruistic, then these narcissist ones are not going to change. R.

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6 Things That Make a Female Narcissist Different from a Male One

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