Six Murderers Who Embody the Nine Traits of Narcissism
--
These six killers perfectly illustrate how narcissism and murder go hand in hand.
Narcissism has become a staple of mainstream media in the last several years. Narcissistic Personality Disorder was officially recognized in 1980 when it was added to the DSM-5. The disorder quickly made its way into mainstream media stories, examining people who manipulate and gaslight those around them to achieve their criminal aspirations.
According to the DSM-5, in order to be diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, a person must display at least five of the established traits of narcissism. The nine traits of narcissism include:
- Grandiose sense of self-importance
- Sense of entitlement
- Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
- Belief they are special and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people or institutions
- Need for excessive admiration
- Interpersonally exploitative behavior
- Lack of empathy
- Envy of others or a belief that others are envious of them
- Demonstration of arrogant and haughty behaviors or attitudes
Not all narcissists become killers but there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that many killers, particularly serial killers, exhibit many of these narcissistic personality traits. The killers in this list each display at least five and, in some cases, all of them. They also provide the perfect example of a murderer who embodies specific traits from the list.
Grandiose Sense of Self-Importance and Demonstration of Arrogant and Haughty Behaviors or Attitudes
In January of 1974, four members of the Otero family were slaughtered in their home. The victims ranged in age from 9 to 38 years old. One of the children was found in the basement, where the killer had hung her from an exposed pipe. Several months later, an anonymous letter was found stuffed into an engineering book at the Wichita Public Library. The letter was written by…
