Narcissistic Leaders and Organizations

1. Narcissistic Leaders and Organizations Assessment and Intervention Diane M. Langberg, PhD Philip G. Monroe, PsyD

2. Contact Info www.dianelangberg.com info@dianelangberg.com • pmonroe@biblical.edu • www.globaltraumarecovery.org Slides download: www.wisecounsel.wordpress.com

3. Meditation: 1 Kings 1:1-10 • King Me! • Listen for characteristics of egocentric leaders • How does this remind us of our own tendencies?

4. Overview • Introduction to Narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder • Emerging model of personality disorders • Q & A • Narcissistic Systems: Features and Impact • Q & A • Working with Narcissistic Leaders: Challenges and Directions • Working with Narcissistic Systems • Q & A • Concluding Thoughts

5. Defining Characteristics • Self-absorbed • Entitled • Demanding Differences with immaturity?

6. Current View of NPD 5 of 9 symptoms needed: • Grandiose sense of self often seen as exaggeration of achievements and abilities • Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance and love • Believes he is special and can only be understood by others who are special • Demands excessive admiration • Entitled and expects favors and compliance • Interpersonally exploitive; uses others to achieve his ends • Lacks empathy; cannot identify with others’ feelings • Envious of others or believes they are envious of him • Arrogant, haughty, proud in behavior and attitudes

7. Bob Filner’s “apology”

8. Emerging Model of Pathological Personality • Connected to 5 Factory model of Personality • Negative affect (v. emotional stability) • Detachment (v. extraversion) • Antagonism (v. agreeableness) • Disinhibition (v. conscientiousness) • Psychoticism (v. lucidity/reality testing)

9. Emerging Model, con’t • 4 Core personality functions • Self • Identity • Self-direction • Interpersonal • Empathy • Intimacy

10. NPD in Light of this Model • Identity: Excessive reference to others for self-definition; Exaggerated self appraisal • Self-direction: Goal setting based on gaining approval from others; Often unaware of own motives • Empathy: Impaired ability to recognize feelings of others; Attuned to reactions of others only as they refer to self • Intimacy: Largely superficial to serve self-esteem regulation

11. Value of this New Model? • Compare differences • Exploitive vs. Uses others to regulate self-esteem • Lacks empathy vs. Attuned to others only when relevant to self

12. Can Narcissism be Productive? • Differences? • Confidence vs. egotism • Visionary vs. reckless • Resilient vs. impervious to criticism • Goal driven vs. exploitive

13. Crossing the Line? • Crossing the line • Poor listener • Lacks empathy • Distaste for mentoring • Intense competition

14. Or…the Willingness to Exploit 4 Factor Model 3 Factor Model • Leadership/Authority • Absorption/Self-admiration • Superiority/Arrogance • Exploitive/Entitled • Leadership/Authority • Grandiose Exhibitionism • Exploitive/Entitled Exploitation most correlated with pathological narcissism

16. Q & A

17. Egocentric Systems And Their Leaders

18. Friedman: Demands of Leaders • Expertise • Charisma These demands are problematic?

19. Core Egocentric System Criteria • Abdicates power to leader • Abandons critical thinking • Success interpreted though leader success

20. Is This Organization Narcissistic? • Leader Features • Exudes god-like status • Does not share power or glory • Surrounded by “yea-sayers” • Unwilling to tolerate disagreement • Likely to scapegoat or pass blame • Unwilling to consult with others • Prone to cruel, abusive, intimidating attacks

21. Is This Organization Narcissistic? • Organization features • Constituents gain self-esteem/identity • Approved way of thinking • Insider status provides immeasurable value • Justify dictatorial behaviors of leaders • Require the taking of sides (for/against) • Love of organization is highest priority • No toleration for admiration for competitors • Inability to assess own weaknesses • Encourages spiritual abuse

22. Collective Narcissism (Societal)? • Independent of individual narcissism! • 4 Features • Inflated belief in group superiority • Emotional investment • Requires continuous external validation • Vigilant against all threat of loss of status • Perceive intergroup criticism as threatening • Exaggerated sensitivity to criticism • Intergroup violence restores positive group image

23. Examples? • Exaggerated in-group esteem spawns hostility • Al Qaida and OBL? • But what about the USA? For more, see: Golec de Zavala, A., Cichocka, A., & Iskra-Golec, I. (2013). Collective narcissism moderates the effect of in-group image threat on intergroup hostility. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 104(6), 1019-1039. doi:10.1037/a0032215

26. Q & A

27. Interventions Challenges, Opportunities, Safeguards

28. Facing the Challenge of Counselors • Triggering defenses? • Recognizing deceptive responses • Getting caught in the system

29. Overarching Goals • Find a way to be heard • Explore self apart from external world • Assessing/encouraging readiness for change

30. Assessing Types of Narcissism • Overt (Grandiose) • Seeking to maintain superiority • Covert (Vulnerable/Sensitive) • Seeking to achieve but with fragile confidence Rohmann, E., Neumann, E., Herner, M., & Bierhoff, H. (2012). Grandiose and vulnerable narcissism: Self-construal, attachment, and love in romantic relationships. European Psychologist, 17(4), 279-290. doi:10.1027/1016-9040/a000100 How would this assessment influence your work?

31. Assessing/Encouraging Change • Best responses when your client is at stage: • Pre-contemplation? • Contemplation?

32. Building Empathy and Self-critique • Curious place to start • Empathy with self! • Navigating self-evaluation • What if I am not special?

33. Organizational Consultation • Identifying organizational narratives • Identifying feared outcomes of allowing internal criticism • Developing a “both/and” approach to strengths/weaknesses evaluation

34. Safeguards • For the organization? • For you?

35. Concluding Thoughts