Are all people narcissists underneath their disguise of kindness?

Answer 1

Most normal people have some narcissistic tendencies and those tendencies may come to the fore during times of personal stress. And I do believe that the prevalence of Narcissism is higher than the 1 to 2 percent estimated by experts. Narcissism is a spectrum disorder with only a minority of the subjects in the severe malignant narcissistic range -- Think Hitler. I think most normal people strive to sublimate their narcissistic tendencies (selfishness, vanity, pride ) for the greater good of those around them. Narcissists don't seem to have an inner compass that tells them when they are overstepping the boundaries of others. They are to be pitied because they do not even recognize narcissism as a problem.

Answer 2

No. Kindness can stem from various motivators. Some people are genuinely kind. Benevolence is part of their nature. Some people are kind when the result benefits them in some way. Some people are kind simply because it is the right thing to do- they do it out of fairness. Some people are kind in furtherance of their religious beliefs. Then there are the truly narcissistic individuals who are kind as a manifestation of their narcissistic personality.

Those people make grandiose gestures to inflate their own ego, build up their self importance, call attention to themselves, create admiration from others and rope other people into their circle of supply. They expect favorable treatment, admiration and loyalty from the recipient in return. As payback time comes around the relationship usually ends in shambles as the recipient begins to realize the narcissist isn’t that great a “friend”, and the narcissist’s facade begins to break down.

Answer 3

No, not all people are narcissists. Narcissism is a personality trait characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy for others. While some people may exhibit narcissistic tendencies, it's not accurate to say that all people have these traits underneath a disguise of kindness.