Narcissism is not a symptom of BPD listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). However, as many as 40% of people with BPD may also have narcissistic personality disorder,4 so people with BPD may also show signs of narcissism.
The Attraction
In the case of the borderline sufferer, when they first encounter the narcissist, they see everything they are not and cannot do. They're amazed by their confidence, as they recognise its absence in their own life. They find being involved with them validates their character, boosting their self-esteem.
It's a technique often used by those with narcissistic and/or borderline personality disorders to deflect any responsibility from themselves.
BPD-diagnosed people are typically more prone to impulsive and self-destructive behavior, while those with NPD are more likely to exhibit grandiose behavior and a sense of entitlement. This is why when a narcissist's ego is wounded—what we'd call narcissistic injury,—the mental repercussions can be extreme for them.
The actions of people who have BPD can indeed feel manipulative. However, the word 'manipulative', with its pejorative suggestions of malicious scheming, does not capture the true nature of BPD-spurred behavior.
Relationships & Borderline Personality Disorder
“We also have intense and sudden mood changes, and we have severe difficulty regulating our emotions. Unintentionally, we tend to blame others when we make a mistake, which causes us to be manipulative and cruel to those we care about.”
Is Lying a Symptom of BPD? Despite its frequent occurrence with BPD, the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM-V) does not list lying as a diagnostic criterion of BPD. 1 That's partly because lying in BPD is generally not pathological; rather, it's a misguided attempt to avoid abandonment.
A borderline narcissist can be described as a person who has BPD and narcissistic traits or co-occurring NPD. In such cases, the BPD individual presents with an unstable sense of self or disconnect from self, poor self-esteem, hypersensitivity to criticism, defensiveness, and feelings of insecurity.
Nearly 40% of those with borderline personality disorder also have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). A person can have one disorder and traits of the other as well. It helps to understand their similarities and differences.
It is important to remember that while having a relationship with a person with BPD can be challenging, they are not intentionally trying to hurt you. Rather, they lack the ability to understand and cope with their emotional pain, which causes them to act in ways that hurt others.
Similarities of BPD and NPD
BPD and NPD can both cause distorted and unhealthy patterns of thoughts and behaviors. People with these conditions have a strong desire for positive attention and validation from others and may react poorly when they don't receive the affirmation that they want.
The destructive and hurtful behaviors are a reaction to deep emotional pain. In other words, they're not about you. When your loved one does or says something hurtful towards you, understand that the behavior is motivated by the desire to stop the pain they are experiencing; it's rarely deliberate.
Those who have BPD tend to be very intense, dramatic, and exciting. This means they tend to attract others who are depressed and/or suffering low self-esteem.
People with BPD tend to have relationships that are intense and short-lived. You may fall in love quickly, believing that each new person is the one who will make you feel whole, only to be quickly disappointed. Your relationships either seem perfect or horrible, without any middle ground.
For both loved ones, and indeed those with BPD a toxic relational dynamic emerges and is repeated in cyclical and patterned ways. This toxic relational dynamic revolves around the punishment and revenge sought by those who have Borderline Personality Disorder.
Asperger's Disorder is often misdiagnosed as Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), though evident as early as age 3 (while pathological narcissism cannot be safely diagnosed prior to early adolescence). In both cases, the patient is self-centered and engrossed in a narrow range of interests and activities.
Narcissism is also a personality trait. Instead of having a full-blown disorder, some people simply have narcissistic tendencies, in that they are self-centered and have a big ego. “Someone who is narcissistic may be selfish in some area of their life but not disordered.
- anyone who is important to them and who, inevitably will let them down. So when you cancel a date, miss their birthday, give them short shrift, choose a movie they hate, tell them you don't like their cooking or criticise their haircut, they will react.
BPD splitting is a symptom of borderline personality disorder (BPD). It's when a person sees everything as black or white, good or bad, or best or worst. Splitting is a defense mechanism people living with BPD use to deal with emotions (such as the fear of abandonment) that they cannot handle.
The most official of the narcissism tests, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), is commonly used to determine if someone displays narcissistic behaviors.
Second, there is a lack of education on C-PTSD, which looks like BPD after narcissistic abuse. In fact many people have been wrongly diagnosed with BPD during narcissistic abuse when they didn't know they were being abused.
Researchers argue that while pathological lying may, in theory, occur in people with APD, those with this condition often lie for personal gain or pleasure. A person with BPD or NPD may lie to distort reality into something that fits with the emotions that they are feeling, rather than the facts.
Psychopathy. Pathological lying is in factor 1 of the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL).
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental health disorder often characterized by intense emotional reactions, unstable relationships, and a fear of abandonment. One lesser-known facet of BPD is the propensity for making false accusations.