From the Guidelines
Extreme narcissism alone typically does not render someone legally incompetent, as incompetence requires a significant impairment in decision-making capacity due to mental illness or cognitive impairment, which is not a characteristic of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) 1.
Key Considerations
- Incompetence is a legal determination that requires an individual to be unable to make rational decisions about their personal welfare, financial affairs, or legal matters due to mental illness or cognitive impairment.
- The assessment of capacity, as outlined in the Mental Capacity Act 2005, involves evaluating an individual's ability to understand information relevant to decisions, retain that information, use or weigh that information as part of the process of making the decision, or communicate their decision 1.
- While NPD is a recognized mental health condition characterized by grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy, it generally doesn't impair decision-making capacity to the extent required for incompetence.
- However, if narcissism is accompanied by other severe mental health conditions like psychosis, dementia, or severe depression that significantly impair judgment and functioning, then incompetence might be considered 1.
Evaluation and Determination
- The determination of incompetence requires a comprehensive evaluation by mental health professionals and is ultimately decided by a court.
- The assessment would examine the person's ability to understand information relevant to decisions, appreciate their situation, reason about choices, and communicate decisions, rather than focusing solely on personality traits.
- It is essential to consider the individual's specific circumstances and any potential cognitive or mental health impairments that may impact their decision-making capacity, rather than making a determination based solely on their personality disorder 1.
From the Research
Incompetence in Individuals with Extreme Narcissistic Personality Disorder
- There is no direct evidence in the provided studies to suggest that an individual with extreme narcissistic personality disorder can be deemed incompetent 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- However, the studies suggest that narcissistic personality disorder is associated with impaired self and interpersonal functioning, which may impact an individual's ability to make decisions or function in certain contexts 3, 4.
- The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) includes narcissistic personality disorder as a personality disorder that can be diagnosed based on impairments in self and interpersonal functioning, as well as personality traits such as grandiosity and attention seeking 3.
- Research has also shown that grandiose narcissism is associated with lower social affect and lower brain activation during subjective experiencing of social affect, which may impact an individual's ability to interact with others and make decisions in a social context 4.
- Additionally, covert narcissistic tendencies in individuals, including psychotherapists, may affect their ability to maintain boundaries and engage in therapeutic relationships, which may have implications for their competence in certain professional contexts 5.