Trauma and the Development of Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Characteristics and Treatment Approach

Trauma is a condition experienced as a result of an event that threatens or seriously affects a person's physical or mental health. These events refer to events in which the person does not feel safe, cannot control himself or is under intense stress. Trauma can have effects beyond a person's normal reactions and often lead to profound and long-term effects on one's life. Childhood traumas can play an important role in the development of narcissistic personality structure. Narcissism is a personality pattern characterized by an exaggerated perception of one's self-worth and a general lack of empathy. This condition can often be caused by traumatic experiences experienced early in life. Mental trauma treatment applications in general: Psychotherapy Methods, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Psychodynamic Therapy, Drug Therapy (pharmacotherapy). The research aims to differentiate the relation between trauma and narcissism according to literature materials, and published manuscripts. The method of the study is literature analyzing. RQ1 (research question 1) - what is the connection between traumatic experience and narcissistic personality disorder? RQ2 (research question 2) –what are the main steps of the treatment and managing program of NPD? The material obtained can be useful for students, researchers, theoretical psychologists and psychotherapists. Keywords: trauma, narcissism, narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), abuse and violence