Are They A Narcissist or Just A Jerk? How To Tell And Why It Matters

“Not everyone who is self-centered, self- absorbed or exhibits low empathy is a narcissist. Some people are, in fact, just jerks.” -FB User

I came across this statement on my FB feed and it made me stop scrolling through the endless pics of my friend’s children (He’s pooping in the potty!? How exciting!) and really start thinking. How would I help someone decide if they were dealing with a narcissist or just a jerk? Is there a way I could clear the confusion in twenty words or less? The person who wrote the FB post went on to give stats about how only 1% of the population has full blown narcissistic personality disorder, despite our #Selfie fascination, and pointed out the term “narcissist” has become a buzzword for far too many of us to label the most frustrating people in our lives.

Is it true? Have we become a society obsessed with narcissism in the same way narcissists obsess about themselves? When you Google narcissism, 78,500,000 results appear in less than a second. Articles such as “11 Ways to Know Your Boss is a Narcissist” or “What It’s Like To Be Raised Be A Narcissist” are clearly popular with readers as people try to make sense of their own pain and confusion. Anyone who has graduated from Living With A Nightmare 101 knows that suspected narcissists do NOT respond well to criticism, don’t…