20 Characteristics of People with Narcissistic Personality Disorder

8. They lack empathy.

One of the hallmarks of narcissistic personality disorder is a lack of empathy for other people. However, while it may seem that narcissists are unable to understand the feelings of other people, this might not be entirely accurate. It has been suggested that they are unwilling to empathize with others rather than are unable to. They may have the capacity for empathy, yet remain empathically unresponsive. Narcissists may also use their understanding of other people’s emotional state to manipulate them. Whatever the case, they tend to disregard the feelings of the people around them.