‘Female narcissism is often misdiagnosed’: how science is finding women can have a dark streak too | Psychology

PIcore is mentally disturbed. Who do you see in your eyes? It is possible that he is a man. The opportunities are that your answer will be similar if you are asked to photograph narcissistic. From Charles Manson and Ted Bondi to Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler and Donald Trump, the most famous in people we consider mentally or narcissistic male. This is the case even for imagination – Think Hannibal Lecterand Patrick Batman or Norman Bates.

Scientists have long assumed that women were very great that they could not be mentally or narcissistic, and He did not bother to study the possibility muchAccording to AFA Green of City Saint George, University of London. But search over the past few decades increasingly Challenge this stereotypeWomen can also suggest a dark line. As in autism or hyperactivity disorder and attention lack, such features express themselves slightly different in women – which makes them more difficult to discover diagnostic tests mainly for men.

Most of us have a level of dark personality. It is often combined in what scientists call.Dark Trinity“From psychological, narcissistic and Machiavellian (i.e. seeking control and power through manipulation and non-moral). While only about 1-5 % and 1 % of people have clinical levels of narcissism and psychological disorder, respectively-and many of them are imprisoned-the people can They have clinical levels without damaging. A third of the population It has higher levels of average of dark features. These people have hunger for power and control and often they are selfish, absence, manipulation, and deceitful, not to some extent.

Recent research conducted by Antonella Souma at San Rafael Vita Salut University in Milan and her colleagues in dark features and other character features in nearly 1,000 Italian women. They found that women who wear high levels of these features They likely had high levels of aggression. The way they express, however, may be different from men. ““You can get more spread and a response between females and direct aggression among males,” says Souma.

Narcissism, for example, is often seen as a somewhat male trait-thinking of CAD that wears a scarf in the song “Carly Simon You are in vain. But “the essence of narcissism is the same in men and women: they express great expectations, delusions and lack of sympathy.”

Researchers discovered this Narcissism can come in two types: Grandiose and weakness. Green has shown that although men are more vulnerable to great narcissism, they are characterized by great respect for the self and the process of extraction, women offer the weak shape more commonly, including Introverted, defense and self -esteem. It may be more fragile and less boasting.

Green believes that this is due to the fact that bragging and chest smuggling are simply not socially acceptable for women. “Narcissos women misuse it in ways that society allows,” she says. “They often benefit from their femininity, and present themselves as speaking, but they are cunning; it is deliberate.” They may still lie, cheat and control others.

In the study of Somma, women who suffer from high levels of psychological disorder, Machiavia and great narcissism have been registered, low on compatibility (your friendship) and on the high social deviation (breaking rules or rules). slim With weak narcissism, it was less social and more acceptable than women who suffer from other dark features. They also had more ideas with great greatness and the worst mental health ever. This is likely to be more safe and eager to fit. “They are often better in sympathy,” Green says.

But we may fail to get to know these features as a narcissist. “The female leaders with narcissistic features can cause the most reputable damage, the rotation of the employees, the bullying, as a male – it only revolves around it in a more strangling way,” says Green. “Male leaders can be more aggressive and socially dominant in establishing power. But the higher leaders may blame why they have to shoot you-even if they have organized it.”

There is definitely an aggression under the surface. Poor narcissism It is strongly linked to the aggression In relationships, as well as physical and verbal bullyingOf the great type. “These are uncomfortable facts,” Green says.

When taking into account the weak traits of narcissism, the green has found levels without clinic To be commonIf not more widespread, in women. But many diagnostic protocols, including the diagnostic and statistical guide for mental disorders (DSM-5), tend towards men, focusing on the great narcissism. Female narcissism for that Often the wrong diagnosis As the border personality disorder, according to Green. It says that the European diagnostic guide, the International Classification of Diseases 11 (ICD-11) is actually More vulnerable to picking female narcissists Because it includes weak features.

This is important because high levels of narcissism Crime. Green is planning a new study in British prisons to assess how the regime failed to capture the weak narcissistic features of the two battles.

Mentally

Men usually Higher It is women on Machiavellian and his most severe cousin, psychopathy. These features are similar, but the Machiavellian people tend to better control and the ability to play a long game compared to their peers in psychological interior.

However, some researchers believe Standard tests It may reduce michavilla in women. After all, the entire psychological construction was inspired by the ideas of the man – the Italian diplomat and the philosopher Nicholo McKavili. Research indicates that although men and women of Machiavellian women are as well as the same, mechanical men tend to be more Confident, firm and selfishWhile Machiavilian women are more conscientious, anxiety Probably Doubt and cheating on their partner. Therefore, recent studies were presented New tests That is less perverted towards men.

The same applies to psychopathy. Psychological patients, after all, suffer from high levels of magic and charisma. “One of the main things they want is strength and control.” Clav Body of Angelia Roskin University says: “They gain this control as they can.” For men, it may be more physical, as is the case through violent intimidation, while women may It is more by treating people’s feelings. ”

“They finally tend to the weapon of anything that society allows them to use.” Al -Akhdar says. This means that they may be more successful in using their children against their partner, or making wrong accusations of abuse, rather than a person physically threatened.

Common evaluation tools like Review of the PCL-R list (PCL-R),, Which are often used in prisons, were developed on the basis of male perpetrators. Even measures to assess levels without clinical psychopathy in the general population, such as Levinson psychological treatment scale“It depends on a loosely on PCL-R”, according to Boddy.

Both test the so -called “basic psychopathy”, which includes features such as cruelty, coding and manipulation, along with “secondary psychopathy”, which is related to rush and anti -society behavior. Since women are less vulnerable to violence or criminal, they are often recorded in secondary psychopathy, which may reduce their total degrees. Therefore, Boddy believes to emphasize the basic psychopathy when assessing women.

In 1995, Michael Levyson, the Leaveson Carter 23 % of men, but only 6 % of womenHe had high enough levels of psychopathy to cause a problem for others. Body, however, was long ago skeptical of these numbers. Based on three of his previous studies, which included 913 people (including 570 women) in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, found,,,, In the analysis it has not yet been published28 % of men and 19 % of women had enough high degrees on the basic psychological disorder to be toxic.

The biases between the residents may also play a role. “Male doctors and researchers in psychopathy may be relatively unwilling to provide a diagnosis of a pleasant and charming woman in front of them,” Body suggests.

This is a problem. Women with these features may create chaos in the workplace, relationships, families and society as a whole. According to Boddy, fraud on the CV is common among those who reach the top in companies, as well as the lack of moral consideration about things such as sustainability, equality or diversity.

Psychopathy He did not study much In female perpetrators as well. One study 2015 suggested that Only 11-17 % of female criminals are mentally illCompared with 31 % of males. In a series of recent studies on the killers in Italy, Professor Felis Carapels of Barry University and his colleagues discovered that most of them had suffered a kind of psychosis, and had not assumed any criminal or reduced responsibility. But in the small group that bears a complete criminal responsibility, About 40 % have clinical levels of psychopathy.

In another A recent study On the killers, he showed that the killers were likely to record in the initial features such as male manipulation, while male psychological interrogators recorded higher in the anti -society behavior. “In women, the psychological component can be reduced or its value can be reduced because diagnostic tools are not guaranteed such as men,” says Karabelis. All this indicates that we may be better at the use of a slightly less cutting degree for criminal women, or testing a less focus on the anti -society behavior.

Female psychological intercourse may also be such bright manipulators who fail the residents even in discovering their mental inclinations. We know that poor parenting and motherhood It is associated with psychopathy in womenBut there are no questions about this topic in PCL-R.

If we want to rehabilitate those who commit crimes, males or females, we need to obtain psychological development properly. People who suffer from psychopathy are difficult to treat and are more likely to be re -presented than others.

Many people feel uncomfortable hearing negative things about women. “I often feel a little anxious when I present to the public about whether women will come out in the middle of my talk,” Green says. “When these negative features are shining on women, it seems as if we are retreating. But I personally think that by moving away from the depiction of women as enjoying this behavior – they can also be cruel, selfish and deeply surrounded – we are actually joining the concept of equality.”

What’s more, if we insist that women are difficult to be soft and careful, we may consciously assume that they are not suitable for roles such as leadership, police or politics. Ultimately, all people have the ability to be good and bad. And if women learn to curb some of their aggression as a result of societal pressures, the opportunities are that men can also.