Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is characterized by extreme focus on oneself, and is a maladaptive, rigid, and persistent condition that may cause significant distress and functional impairment.

The etiology of this disorder is unknown. Pathological narcissism is an infantile, defensive personality structure in response to abuse and trauma, usually developing in early childhood or early adolescence and is exhibited by disregard for the feelings of others, grandiosity, obsessive self-interest, and the pursuit of primarily selfish goals. Narcissism is a maladaptive defense of the abused child's or adolescent's emotional splitting, resultant cognitive distortions, and negative/hostile worldview.

People who have a narcissistic personality style rather than narcissistic personality disorder are generally psychologically healthy, but may at times be arrogant, proud, shrewd, confident, self-centered and determined to be at the top. They do not, however, have an unrealistic image of their skills and worth and are not dependent on praise to sustain a healthy self-esteem.

...More at Wikipedia 

Related Links:

• Mayo Clinic
• Cleveland Clinic

Recent Hope Cube Blog Entries For Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)