Signs this might be a problem:

withdrawal from family and friends
inability to maintain employment or engage in studies
confusion
confused speech
inappropriate or erratic behavior and reactions
hearing voices when alone or that others cannot hear
mood swings.

How a False Sense of Reality Impacts Vulnerable Narcissists

The disconnect between fantasy and reality.

Vulnerable narcissists inhabit a world that has a firm foot in fantasy land. Like grandiose narcissists, they have a belief in their “specialness” and superiority compared to other people. Unlike their grandiose counterparts—who will find any way possible in getting the message out there about how brilliant they are—the vulnerable narcissist has this belief but lacks the outgoing qualities of the grandiose narcissist in spreading the word. Instead of going to the boss and asking for a pay rise based on the fact that they believe they’re the hardest-working, most skilled employee in the office, the vulnerable narcissist is far more likely to feel hurt and resentful that their workplace efforts have gone unnoticed.

In many ways, grandiose narcissists have the capacity to create realities that reflect their innermost beliefs about their superiority and illustriousness by surrounding themselves with people who, attracted by their charm, shore up these beliefs. Like the Greek God Narcissus, the grandiose narcissist can hold up a mirror of their own creation which affirms what they want to see.

For the vulnerable narcissist, however, there is a disconnect between what they believe and the reality which they create. They lack the ability to convince everyone else of their specialness. The vulnerable narcissist’s mirror tends to be distorted and misshapen—a bit like those mirrors at the fairground.

What is the Impact of This Distorted Reality?

Constant quest for recognition. The vulnerable narcissist relies on external validation for a sense of s elf-worth. But because there is a disconnect between what they believe about themselves and what is reflected back to them, they fail to receive the validation they are searching for. This can end in a constant quest for recognition, leading the vulnerable narcissist to become a perfectionist.