Key points

High-functioning narcissists may effectively adapt to mask their motives.

Trust your instincts when someone's polished exterior feels unsettling.

Narcissists may listen to feedback but lack genuine change.

Is narcissism becoming an epidemic? Some research suggests that it may be on the rise, particularly for self-reporting college students, while other research negates that assumption. Regardless, society has become increasingly more focused in recent years on what narcissism means.

In a culture that can feel overly focused on individual gain and self-ambition, it may be easy to chalk social issues up to rising narcissism. Just about everyone knows narcissism means a determination to achieve high social status, regardless of the cost, and it’s also become common knowledge

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