As a personality trait, narcissism can be overt or covert, hostile, cultish, or malignant. As a mental health condition, there is only one diagnosis.

When you look at narcissism as a trait in terms of how it affects your daily life and your ability to form relationships, there are two types of narcissism:

Adaptation (useful)
unable to adapt (unhelpful)
Some research suggests that it may be more accurate to view narcissism on a scale from least to most severe narcissistic traits.

You might then imagine that different types of narcissism fit on this spectrum.

In general, narcissism is closely related to:

Extreme focus on oneself
Inflated sense of self
A strong desire for recognition and praise
Learning about these and other narcissistic traits and types of narcissism may also help you understand more about the thought processes, emotions, and behavioral patterns that tend to occur with narcissism.

How many types of narcissism are there?

Some research draws a line between two types of narcissism: adaptive and maladaptive narcissism. This helps to show the difference between the productive and non-productive aspects of narcissism.

Adaptive narcissism refers to aspects of narcissism that can actually be beneficial, such as high self-confidence, self-reliance, and the ability to celebrate yourself.
Maladaptive narcissism is associated with traits that do not serve you and can negatively impact how you treat yourself and others. For example, entitlement, aggression, and a tendency to exploit others. This would be associated with symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder.
When most people talk about narcissism, they are usually referring to the types of narcissism that fall under the maladaptive umbrella.

Researchers and experts usually work around five types of narcissism:

Overt narcissism
Covert narcissism
Hostile narcissism
Sectarian narcissism
Malignant narcissism

1. Overt narcissism
   Overt narcissism is also known by several other names, including grandiose narcissism and operant narcissism.

This type of narcissism is what most people associate with a narcissistic personality.

A person with overt narcissism may present as:

open minded
arrogant
Worthy
arrogant
Having an exaggerated self-image
Need praise and admiration
Exploitative
competitive
Lacks empathy
Some research links overt narcissism to the Big Five personality traits of extraversion and openness.

It also suggests that people with overt narcissism are more likely to feel good about themselves and less likely to experience uncomfortable feelings such as sadness, anxiety, or loneliness.

People with overt narcissism may also tend to overestimate their abilities and intelligence.

2. Covert narcissism
   Covert narcissism is also known as vulnerable narcissism and covert narcissism, and is the opposite of overt narcissism.

While many people believe that narcissism is a loud, arrogant trait, people with covert narcissism do not fit this pattern.

Instead, some common traits of a person with covert narcissism include:

Expressions of low self-esteem

• Greater likelihood of developing anxiety, depression, and shyness
  Introversion
  Insecurity or low confidence
  Defensiveness
  to avoid
  Tendency to feel or play the victim
  While a person suffering from covert narcissism will remain extremely self-focused, this is likely to be conflicted by a deep-seated fear or feeling of inadequacy.

A study on personality and covert narcissism published in 2017 found that it was strongly linked to higher neuroticism (the tendency to experience unpleasant feelings) and dissatisfaction.

A person with covert narcissism is likely to have difficulty accepting criticism. But unlike a person with overt narcissism, a person with covert narcissism may be more likely to internalize or accept criticism more harshly than intended.

Research suggests that the categories of covert and overt narcissism are not always in conflict with each other. In other words, a person with overt narcissism may go through a period in which they show more signs of covert narcissism, for example.

3. Hostile narcissism
   According to some research, hostile narcissism is a subtype of overt narcissism. With this aspect of narcissism, the emphasis is on rivalry and competition.

Some traits of hostile narcissism include:

arrogance
Tendency to exploit others
Tendency to compete with others
Disagreement or tendency to argue
According to 2017 research on aspects of narcissism and forgiveness, those with hostile narcissism reported being less likely to forgive others than people with other types of narcissism.

People with hostile narcissism may also have lower levels of trust in others, according to a 2019 study.

4. Sectarian narcissism
   Collective narcissism is another type of overt narcissism, and is usually viewed as the opposite of hostile narcissism.

A person with collective narcissism values fairness and is likely to see themselves as altruistic, but research published in 2018 suggests there is a gap between these beliefs and a person’s behavior.

People who suffer from sectarian narcissism may:

Become morally angry easily
They describe themselves as compassionate and generous
They react strongly to things they see as unfair
So what makes societal narcissism different from genuine concern for the well-being of others? The main difference is that for people with communal narcissism, social power and self-importance play major roles.

For example, while collective narcissism may have you saying (and believing) that you have a strong moral code or care about others, you may not realize that the way you treat others does not align with your beliefs.

5. Malignant narcissism
   Narcissism can exist at different levels of severity, with malignant narcissism being the most severe form. It can also cause more problems for the person living with it.

Malignant narcissism is more closely related to overt narcissism than covert narcissism.

A person with malignant narcissism may have many common traits of narcissism, such as a strong need for praise and to rise above others. But in addition, malignant narcissism can manifest as:

Revenge
Sadism, or taking pleasure in the pain of others
Aggression when dealing with others
Paranoia, or increased anxiety about potential threats
A person with malignant narcissism may also share some traits with antisocial personality disorder. This means that a person with malignant narcissism may be more likely to have problems with the law or a substance use disorder.

In a small study including people with borderline personality disorder (BPD), those with malignant narcissism had difficulty reducing anxiety and gaining a better ability to function in daily life.

Let’s recap

Experts work with five main types of narcissism: overt, covert, cultish, hostile, and malignant narcissism. They can all affect how you see yourself and interact with others.

When it comes to treatment, narcissism can be difficult because many people living with it don’t necessarily feel the need to change.

But living with narcissism has its own mental health effects, including anxiety, depression and substance abuse, and sometimes the impact of these effects leads a person to seek help.