Published: June 20, 2025

What Is Covert Narcissism?

Narcissism is often used as a term to describe selfish and self-esteem people. Yet, in medical science, this term has a more profound and branched description. Namely, if narcissism is a colloquial word, officially in healthcare it has a relevant diagnosis, NPD or Narcissistic personality disorder.

Named after the character of Greek myths, a beautiful lad named Narciss, this personality disorder brings troubles both to a narcissist and to their surrounding. Typically, in culture, narcissists are described as people thinking only about their needs, selfish personalities focused on their geniality and setting high values for their persons. They love themselves and want other people to adore them. Often, narcissists are described as extroverts but is it 100% true? Let’s learn more about one of the subtypes of NPD, covert narcissism, which differs much from the generally recognized image of a narcissist.

What Is Covert Narcissism and How Does It Differentiate From Other Forms of NPD?

Today, the phenomenon of narcissism is still in focus of scientific research due to the fact that many people who potentially have NPD do not want to pass diagnostics and get the treatment. They simply think everything is OK with them, and thus, investigations of narcissism still have lots of white spots. Yet, even now, narcissism is divided into two subtypes.

Grandiose narcissism – that’s what people imagine when they hear about narcissistic persons.
Vulnerable narcissism – less known form of NPD also called covert narcissism [1].

Generally, the main traits of NPD are described as follows:

Self-centralization;
Need for admiration and recognition of a person’s uniqueness;
Low empathy;
Manipulative behavior;
Extroversive traits.

Narcissists are often described as talkative, overtly expressive in their feelings, and self-confident people who want others to express delight about them and thus, attract all the attention to themselves. Yet, it is only a part of the signs of NPD and it relates to a specific subtype, grandiose narcissism. Unlike this subtype, covert narcissism traits are not in the public eye. Moreover, you probably won’t call a person with this type of NPD a narcissist! They are introverts, they are uneven in their exceptional personality, and they often complain about how unfair life and society have been to them. Looks strange if compared to a cultural image of a narcissist, doesn’t it? Thus, it is necessary to describe how this subtype of NPD was discovered and how it is considered now by DSM-5.

Covert Narcissism Investigation History

Covert narcissism today often shows in scientific publications under several names. It is also known as ‘vulnerable narcissism’ or ‘hypersensitive narcissism’. In 1989, the first description of this subtype of NPD was published by the psychiatrist Glen Gabbard who used the term ‘hypervigilant narcissist’ to describe personalities who obviously have narcissistic traits but showed introverted signs at once [2]. This differentiation was supported further by other investigators, particularly, by James Masterson, who divided NPD into ‘closet narcissism’ and ‘exhibitionistic narcissism’. Other researchers provide a different opinion and state that narcissists tend to shift between overt and covert phases during their lives [3]. At last, the whole phenomenon of different personality types in narcissism is embodied in the concept of ‘Two faces of narcissism’ proposed by Paul Wink [4].

DSM-5 today doesn’t provide separation for overt and covert narcissism and uses the term NPD collectively for both subtypes. NPD, according to DSM-5, is a cluster B disorder characterized by dramatic behavior and erratic emotional response.

What Causes Covert Narcissism?

Narcissistic personality disorder is caused by a combination of two factors, genetic and environmental.

Genetic factors of covert narcissism are proven by the research on twins and the results of the study show that narcissistic traits can be inherited and they are shown in both twins in a pair. That is, if one of your relatives showed narcissistic traits or was diagnosed with NPD, you can inherit it too.
Environmental causes of covert narcissism relate to childhood trauma. Researchers suppose that parents who overpraised their children can grow a narcissists. At once, if the issues of child abuse or neglect were regular in the family, they can result in the development of NPD traits in a child. The last variant is what probably boosts covert narcissism development. Some researchers also say that the correlation between covert narcissism and authoritarian parenthood does exist [5].

However, more studies are required to get a certain answer on what causes covert narcissism, and the research on it is still in progress.

The Main Signs of Covert Narcissism

The next thing to learn about covert narcissism is how it manifests in a person. A small spoiler: frequently this subtype of NPD is misdiagnosed with other personality disorders due to atypical traits. So, what are the core symptoms of covert narcissism?

Shyness and introversion. Unlike grandiose narcissists, covert narcissists often are shy, they do not like to communicate with other people and their close circle is narrow. They do not like public attention and try to avoid it.
Sense of insecurity. For covert narcissists, the world around them is insecure and hostile, they oppose themselves to the environment they live in and frequently search for a false bottom in everything happening around them.
Oversensitivity to criticism. Even if your feedback is positive and you slightly say something that can be distinguished as criticism, a covert narcissist may consider it as a threat. This happens because criticism is considered as proof of a negative view a covert narcissist has about themselves.
Passive aggression. Manipulative behavior is characteristic of NPD in general, but covert narcissism is manifested in passive aggression. This passive aggression can be expressed in various versions from total silence to mocking or sabotaging friendship, blame-shifting, gaslighting or responsibility-shifting.
Putting themselves down. Covert narcissists constantly express they are bad and unworthy but in reality, they don’t think they are. This behavior is a mechanism to get admiration and proof of self uniqueness all NPDs need like air.
Thinking they are undervalued. All their failures covert narcissists consider the result of being underestimated by society, employers, friends, government, or anyone else.
Grandiose fantasies about themselves. While grandiose narcissists talk about their achievements and uniqueness, covert narcissists think about this. They often imagine how their talents are suddenly recognized and they get their piece of fame.
Depression and anxiety. The previous train leads covert narcissists to depressive thoughts as in reality, they do not have the recognition they strive for, and this leads to frustration because of overrated expectations. Anxiety in covert narcissism occurs due to the fear of failure or exposure.
Envy. NPD people constantly compare themselves to others to find proof of their grandiosity. In the case, that someone else shows higher results, a covert narcissist feels that they deserve this more than the person they compare them to, and this boosts envy.
Showing empathy. Unlike grandiose narcissists, covert narcissists can show empathy or at least may seem like showing it.

Examples of Covert Narcissists

Let’s consider the examples of covert narcissists to get a better understanding of this personality disorder.

All-trades-Jack for a significant person. A man with covert narcissism is used by a popular entertainer. He helps prepare for the shows, works at night and provides last-minute preparations being in the shadow of a popular personality he worships. This situation shows us a covert narcissist who gets more than payment for his work but gets exceeded approval he needs more than money from his significant person.
A wife of a great man. You probably face the situation when a young lady marries a man 20 years older than her and nothing like being handsome. If this man is a popular or recognized personality, his wife’s adore and delight in him are traits of a covert narcissist. A woman in this couple is a covert narcissist and she gets her approval being chosen by such a celeb.
Mother of a genial child. Often, mothers of prodigy children or kids that gain popularity due to their extra skills are covert narcissists. They transit their feeling of being exceptional to their children and promote it to prove their uniqueness as mothers of genius.

How to Build Relationships With Covert Narcissists

Being in a relationship with a covert narcissist is a devastating marathon. Passive aggression, envy of your achievements, and constant talks about how your partner is undervalued by others may be challenging and badly impact mental health. Thus, if you notice the traits of covert narcissism in your partner, parent, or friend, the best scenario is to follow the principles:

Build healthy boundaries. NPD people often lack an understanding of where are their boundaries and where are those of other people. Just check the boundaries and set realistic limitations in your interactions.
Learn more about NPD. When you understand the mechanisms that make your partner do things or say words that hurt you, you can better cope with them.
Do not take things personally. Once you realize that your NPD partner doesn’t want to offend you with their behavior or words, building relationships with them will be easier.
Create a supportive environment for yourself. This includes family support, friendly communication with others, and professional support by mental health specialists. For example, psychotherapy is a working tool for NPD partners to maintain balance and calmness.

Covert narcissism is a subtype of NPD that has atypical manifestations. It breaks down the whole image of a narcissist as an extrovert and attention-seeking personality focused on self-esteem. Yet, manipulative behavior, need for admiration and recognition, hurting behavior, envy and constant comparison to others remain stable in covert narcissism. Still, it is unclear whether this type of NPD is of a genetic origin or it manifests due to childhood experience, but the result is a person lives a hard life and constantly thinks that the world doesn’t understand their uniqueness and thus, doesn’t evaluate it properly.

Resources:

Table of Contents:

Let us guide you towards healing

We know that seeking treatment can be overwhelming, but our staff is here to make the process as smooth as possible. We’re available 24/7 to address any questions or concerns you may have.