What is a Covert Narcissist?

Not all narcissists are openly grandiose and outwardly intrusive. Various researchers and authors have written about the introverted narcissist, variously identified as the covert narcissist, the hypersensitive narcissist, the closet narcissist, and the vulnerable narcissist. This subtype of narcissism is more hidden, and yet can carry the same self-conceit and negative contagion as their extroverted counterpart.

Find out more about the types of narcissism here: 4 Types of Narcissism

While the “overt” narcissists tended to be aggressive, self-aggrandizing, exploitative, and have extreme delusions of grandeur and a need for attention, “covert” narcissists were more prone to feelings of neglect or belittlement, hypersensitivity, anxiety, and delusions of persecution.

While they are a lot of articles and quizzes out there that discuss about whether someone in your life is a narcissist, like, 10 Things Narcissists Fear The Most, 10 Signs You’re Dating a Narcissist, 10 Ways to Deal with a Narcissist, and 6 Surprising Effects of Narcissistic Parenting, have you ever wondered if you are one, or at least has some narcissistic traits or tendencies yourself? Moreover, it is even harder to spot a covert one due to it’s subtle nature. You can evaluate that by yourself with the quiz below.

Are you secretly a covert narcissist? Take a piece of paper and pen, or your phone, and write down the answers for the following questions by deciding to what extent each item describes your feelings and behavior. Please answer them honestly for more accurate results.

1 = strongly disagree

2 = disagree

3 = neutral

4 = agree

5 = strongly agree

  1. I can become entirely absorbed in thinking about my personal affairs, my health, my cares or my relations to others.
  2. My feelings are easily hurt by ridicule or the slighting remarks of others.
  3.  When I enter a room I often become self-conscious and feel that the eyes of others are upon me.
  4. I dislike sharing the credit of an achievement with others.
  5. I feel that I have enough on my hand without worrying about other people’s troubles.
  6. I feel that I am temperamentally different from most people.
  7. I often interpret the remarks of others in a personal way.
  8. I easily become wrapped up in my own interests and forget the existence of others.
  9. I dislike being with a group unless I know that I am appreciated by at least one of those present.
  10. I am secretly “put out” or annoyed when other people come to me with their troubles, asking me for their time and sympathy.
  11. I am jealous of good-looking people.
  12. I tend to feel humiliated when criticized.
  13. I wonder why other people aren’t more appreciative of my good qualities.
  14. I tend to see other people as being either great or terrible.
  15. I sometimes have fantasies about being violent without knowing why.
  16. I am especially sensitive to success and failure.
  17. I have problems that nobody else seems to understand.
  18. I try to avoid rejection at all costs.
  19. My secret thoughts, feelings, and actions would horrify some of my friends.
  20. I tend to become involved in relationships in which I alternately adore and despise the other person.
  21. Even when I am in a group of friends, I often feel very alone and uneasy.
  22. I resent others who have what I lack.
  23. Defeat or disappointment usually shame or anger me, but I try not to show it.