Narcissist or Something Else?

Dear S.Q. I’m tired of idiots calling others narcissist. What’s the accurate term for self-centered assholes?

Dear Tired, Pick something and you’ll find it exists within a range. Red? (On a spectrum) from orange-red to red-violet. Happy? From slight smile to wet-your-pants side-splitter. 

Relationships? survive on 1) balance of give-and-take, AND 2) empathy. On one extreme, someone only gives, and exists on the emotions of others to the exclusion of developing their own personality -they are called fragile or over-givers. To the other extreme, where someone only takes and cannot or will not feel how others feel - they are called self- centered. 

Self-centered? This category of self-centered people has a very narrow band-width; these are people who only respond when, "it benefits me" or "it's about me." On one extreme are the takers who won’t get in synch with other’s feelings -they are called assholes. On the other extreme are those that ALWAYS take and are INCAPABLE of feeling how others feel -this is the Narcissist. Note: Narcissistic Personality Disorder worldwide is around 1-5%. In true form, a rare, almost mythical entity in the general population, but who thrives in abundance in environments that worship their charisma and inflated accomplishments, like politics, entertainment, sales and marketing, corporate management, and scam artist. -S.Q, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist