DR. JOHN'S CASE NOTES : NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER

If ever a disorder was prevalent in bridge players, this one is it. Never in my life have I seen so many afflicted people as those who play this weird and wonderful game. In fact I would say that every male player has fallen victim to this disturbing condition. 
NPD is a pervasive disorder characterized by self-centeredness, lack of empathy , and an exaggerated sense of self-importance. Years  ago this condition was thought to be less common than other personality disorders such as borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and histrionic personality disorder. Well, in my view, bridge players can succumb to one or all of these afflictions, but in today's sad and surreal world NPD is estimated to affect over 20% of a club's membership, being far more common among men than women.
Certainly, every male player has narcissistic personality traits,  which in some cases have developed into the fully blown disorder. Those with just the traits are often seen as arrogant, confident, and self-centered, but unlike the true sufferers they do not have the exaggerated or grandiose view of their own bridge abilities.
So how easy is it to spot an NPD player ? The answer is no problem at all !
He will be the one who loves to hold court with his flock of obedient listeners and admirers,  having of course .......
- an exagggerated sense of his own abilities and achievements
- an insatiable craving for attention, affirmation and praise
- a belief that he is unique or " special " and should only associate with other players of equal status and standing
- a sense of entitlement and expectation of special treatment, such as automatic selection and other privileges befitting a bridge celebrity
- a preoccupation with power and/or success
- a belief that others are envious of him
- a lack of empathy for the feelings of both partners and opponents alike

A sufferer will relentlessly feed off the attention and admiration of others , which heightens his level of arrogance, conceit, and haughtiness. However,  his exaggerated self-image is nothing more than a fragile state of mind. For the moment the praise and attention starts to ebb away or get withdrawn, his vulnerability becomes immediately exposed,  and his self-estemm immediately plummets. Furthermore, those players with acute NPD are incredibly sensitive to criticism, which will always viewed as a personal attack.

Inevitably, if admirers and sycophants are in short supply, then sufferers might well retreat from the bridge scene having sunk into a deep, almost incurable, depression. Therapy of course can be especially difficult because clients refuse to acknowledge the disorder, whether they are on a high when holding court .....or on a low when downing bottles of gin.