What happens to narcissists as they age? Is karma finally catching up to them? Or are they beginning to realize how they have mistreated others? Let’s take a look at the fate of narcissistic aging.

The elderly narcissist

Aging is a natural part of life and we all have to go through it as we progress through the stages of life development. With age comes maturity and new wisdom that enables us to better navigate life’s trials. But what happens to narcissists? Can they lie, manipulate, and cheat their way out of old age?

No, they can’t. Despite how manipulative they may be in their youth, narcissists age like the rest of us, too. And it can be really hard for an elderly narcissist to adjust to age.

Why? Because the narcissist gets worse with age.

Narcissists want to be the center of attention. They desperately crave praise, approval, validation, and admiration from others. However, as the years pass, the outpouring of praise seems to be dying down.

Because our society is so obsessed with beauty and youth, life can get really bad for aging narcissists. They begin to question their worth, feel vulnerable, and tend to give in to their insecurities.

So what happens to narcissists in old age?

Narcissistic aging is full of challenges. Their tendency to see themselves as better than others leads to a lot of self-image issues in their older age.

What they believed in the prime of their youth proves wrong with time as reality hits them. As they struggle with age, their social status becomes weaker and things start to get worse for them.

They become less narcissistic

So what ultimately happens to an elderly narcissist? Fortunately, for most narcissists, their toxic traits tend to fade with age. Although this may not be true of all narcissists.

According to a recent 2019 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, specific personal relationships and career choices can reduce narcissism in some individuals by middle age.

The study, which spanned 23 years, from young adulthood to middle age, found that “narcissists become less narcissistic over time,” author Kyle Schnitzer writes.

The researchers primarily focused on 3 critical aspects of narcissism in the aging narcissist:

merit
Leadership
ego

The study analyzed about 500 older narcissistic participants from the time they began college at UC Berkeley until the narcissists were 41 years old. The researchers used survey questions to assess the narcissistic traits of the participants.

The study states, “Participants who were in supervisory positions showed a slight decline in leadership, and participants who experienced more unstable relationships and who were more physically healthy showed a smaller decline in ego from adulthood to middle age.”

An older narcissist with higher levels of ego during his youth ended up in unstable toxic relationships. They were significantly more likely to get divorced and have fewer children by the time they reached middle age. However, they generally enjoyed good health.

Narcissists with high levels of entitlement at age 18 were less satisfied with life and experienced more negative events in midlife. The researchers found that only 3% of the participants had higher levels of narcissism during that period.

The study concluded, “The results indicate that people tend to become less narcissistic from adulthood to middle age, and the magnitude of this decrease is related to the professional and family paths that a person follows during this stage of life.”

Low narcissism, high loneliness

Another 2018 study revealed that “levels of narcissism may decrease over an individual’s lifetime.” Lead researchers Gregory L. Carter and Melanie Douglas found that an older narcissist tends to show significantly lower levels of narcissism.

However, they experienced higher levels of loneliness when compared to middle-aged participants. They note that the level of narcissism determines the relationship between loneliness and age.

The study shows that narcissism tends to be lower in older narcissists than it is in middle-aged narcissists. Age was found to be negatively associated with narcissism and was also a negative predictor of this personality trait. However, age “positively predicted loneliness”.

It concluded, “Evidence has shown that narcissism is important for mental health, including loneliness, which in turn is linked to other psychological problems, including an increased suicide rate in the elderly.”

Suicidal tendencies in old age

An elderly narcissist is more likely to commit suicide. According to a 1992 study, “Older adults have less narcissism at their disposal to invest their egos.” Hence, it becomes increasingly difficult for aging narcissists to amplify themselves when interacting with new people, environments, and habits.

The study adds: “Some elderly people may therefore feel more and more isolated and commit suicide… Suicide rates increase with age, that is, with decreasing narcissism at one’s disposal.”

Narcissism and dementia

An aging narcissist is also more likely to suffer from dementia as well. Research shows that older adults with narcissistic personality disorder are 80% more likely to develop dementia than the average person.

According to a 2006 study by Daniel Segal Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, and colleagues, individuals with personality disorders experience marked damage to their psychological and cognitive function in old age.

Older adults with a personality disorder or difficulty are at higher risk for later clinically diagnosed frontotemporal dementia, according to a 2011 study. The research paper states, “Patients with personality disorders, particularly in the dramatic block, may present with abnormalities functional on the front lines.

This can be a real challenge for aging narcissists to accept because they rely so much on their cognitive abilities to project their superiority over others.

When that starts to diminish, it becomes unbearable for the aging narcissist. Narcissistic aging and dementia can be a terrible combination because the effects of dementia and the decline in cognitive abilities increase suicidal behavior.

Narcissist vs. Age

So do narcissists change with age? It depends on their life choices and the individual. As their social influence weakens and their power diminishes, the aging narcissist becomes more psychologically vulnerable.

Although the level of narcissists in many elderly people decreases significantly, the rest tend to experience loneliness, dementia, and suicidal thoughts.