Narcissistic Personality Disorder Presentation

Case Study: Amara Mora

23-year-old Female

Charged with Grand larceny and theft of services

Swindled over $500,000 from investors

Claims to be an Italian heiress (no proof or evidence)

Amara Mora is a 23-year-old woman born in Italy. When she was 18, she moved to Los Angeles to attend school at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising where she claims to have graduated one year early and at the top of her class. On a trip to Fashion Week, Paris, she met many wealthy and powerful people to whom she introduced herself as an Italian heiress and socialite who was looking for investors for her new and upcoming couture store in Paris. Over the past year Amara received over $500,000 from friends and business partners who wanted to invest in her store. However, Amara instead spent their money on expensive hotels and lavish vacations and hasn’t paid any money back (because she doesn’t have any) nor has she begun the process of building any store. She is currently in prison awaiting trial on the charges of grand larceny and theft of services, which carries a sentence of up to 15 years.

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What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

Grandiosity Sense of Self Importance

“Special”

Sense of Entitlement

Interpersonally exploitative

Lack of empathy

Envious of others

Arrogant, haughty attitudes

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2013), “The essential features of narcissistic personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy that begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of context.” In order to be properly diagnosed with this disorder, the individual must have five or more of the traits that are seen in narcissistic personality disorder.

Grandiose sense of self-importance. They tend to exaggerate achievements and their talents, and they expect to be superior to others without showing off those achievements

Has fantasies of unlimited power, love, success, ect

They are “special” and unique can only be associated with others of higher status

Excessive admiration

Sense of entitlement, has unreasonable expectations

Interpersonally exploitative, takes advantage of others

Lacks empathy and unwilling to recognize/identify with the feelings/needs of others

Envious of others and believes others are envious of them

Shows arrogance and haughty behaviors

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Behaviors associated with narcissistic personality disorder

Exaggerates her achievements

Fantasies with success, power, brilliance, beauty

Believes she is “special”

Sense of entitlement

Exploitative

Lacks empathy

Amara shows signs of having a narcissistic personality disorder. She exaggerated her achievements by stating that she graduated a year earlier when Amara had not graduated yet. She has fantasies of success, power, brilliance, and beauty by pretending she is an heiress and socialite when she is neither of these things. In a way, this links to her believing she is unique and that she has to be associated with other people with money and the limelight she does not have. She has a sense of entitlement as the money she did receive she has spent, which also leads to her exploiting her friends and potential business partners whom she has promised to put their money into her future store. She instead uses that money to live an extravagate lifestyle with no empathy for the damage she has done to her friends and business partners.

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Describe possible ways this Inmate or offender may use manipulation in the correctional setting

This Inmate may have a goal to befriend staff members and manipulate them into thinking it is a true friendship. However, manipulation can be used by this Inmate In ways such as

– Passive-aggressive behavior

– Implicit threats.

– Dishonesty

– Possible verbal abuse

Types of manipulation in a correctional setting from this Inmate could be used by emotional connection to control another person's behavior. Lying to get what they want or using fear to control another person. Techniques used by manipulative prisoners to manipulate a prison staff and take advantage of the situation various strategies used by the prisoners are mentioned Including spreading rumor against the staff, manipulating the motivating element of the staff.

This Inmate may have a goal to befriend staff members and manipulate them into thinking it is a true friendship. However manipulation can be used by this Inmate in ways such as passive- aggressive behavior Implicit threats. Dishonesty, possible verbal abuse. Types of Manipulation in a correctional setting from Inmate could be used by emotional connection to control another person's behavior. Lying to get what they want or using fear to control another person. The Techniques used by manipulative prisoners to manipulate a prison staff and take advantage of the situation various strategies used by the prisoners are mentioned Including spreading rumor against the staff, manipulating the motivating element of the staff.

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Treatment Interventions for Amara Mora

Long term counseling is the primary treatment for Narcissistic Personality Disorder

– Counseling will offer Amara insight into her problems

Counselling will improve her relating to others in a positive way

Counseling will help Amara develop a healthy self-esteem

Counseling will teach Amara more realistic expectations of others

Cleveland Clinic, (2022).

According to Cleveland Clinic, (2022) long term counseling or talk therapy, also known as psychotherapy can help the NPD suffer gain insight into their behaviors so that they can make changes. This type of treatment intervention will help the NPD suffer learn to relate better to others, thus improving their relationships. Counseling will also help the NPD suffer gain a healthier self-esteem, thus minimizing their mistreatment of others. Through counseling, the NPD suffer will also learn more realistic expectations.

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Pro-Amara will change her behaviors

Pro-Gain a better Self-Esteem

Pro-Improved relationships

Pro-Accept Responsibility for her behaviors

Pros & Cons of Long-Term Counseling

Con-Amara will manipulate the therapist and not be honest

Con-Expensive

There are many benefits to long term counseling, and it can improve Amara’s behaviors as well as raising her self-esteem. Long-term counseling will improve Amara’s relationships as she learns to relate better to others, in a healthier way. Through long-term counseling Amara can learn to take responsibility for her behaviors. There are, however, some cons to long term counseling and they include, Amara being dishonest and manipulative. If Amara is dishonest and manipulative, she will not benefit from counseling.

Treatment Interventions for Amara Mora

Antidepressants – Treats depression symptoms

Mood Stabilizers – Reduces Mood Swings

Antipsychotic Drugs – Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety

According to Cleveland Clinic, (2022) medications such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers and antipsychotic drugs can helps treat the symptoms that come with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Antidepressants such as Fluoxetine can regulate serotonin levels, relieving depression symptoms. Mood stabilizers such as Lithium can regulate mood swings and Antipsychotic Drugs such as Aripiprazole can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

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Pros and Cons of Medication Treatment

Pros

Depression symptoms decrease

Anxiety symptoms decrease

Mood swings decrease

Cons

Client not being Medication compliant

Abusing the medication

There are benefits to taking medications and those include the decreasing of troublesome symptoms that interfere with daily life and relationships. There are also cons to taking medications and those include the client not being medication compliant thus hindering the effectiveness of medications. Clients can also abuse their prescribed medications thus causing more negative symptoms.

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Conclusion

Damion Barton

Narcissist disorder can be a difficult challenge a person can face day in and day out, and it can be difficult working with an inmate with this disorder. The individual who is a self-anointed know it dominant controller, boundary violator, grandiose showoff/braggart, habitually tricky, and living through others as in living through other's hopes and boasting their low self-esteem to full their unrealistic dreams and fantasy and will manipulate you. According to Carol Ren Kneisl, in “Contemporary Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing” it says, “Cluster B (Dramatic-Emotional) Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in behavior or fantasy), needed for admiration, and the lack of empathy of others; this begins by early adulthood and present in several contexts page 585.” With this type of behavior, this would be a difficult to manage while the inmate is incarcerated. You will have to be careful to falling into their trap of manipulation.

Kneisl, Carol Ren (). Contemporary Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing (2nd ed.)

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References:

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).  https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Cleveland Clinic, (2022) Narcissistic Personality Disorder

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9742-narcissistic-personality-disorder

Guarding Against the Manipulative Inmate By: Worley, Robert Corrections Managers REport Dec 2011, Jan 2012, Vol. 17 Issue 4p 49-60 ISSN: 1083-3382 (Accession Number: 71942013) Manipulative Behavior Prisoners

Kneisl, Carol Ren (). Contemporary Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing (2nd ed.)

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Case Study: Amara Mora

23-year-old Female

Charged with Grand larceny and theft of services

Swindled over $500,000 from investors

Claims to be an Italian heiress (no proof or evidence)

Amara Mora is a 23-year-old woman born in Italy. When she was 18, she moved to Los Angeles to attend school at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising where she claims to have graduated one year early and at the top of her class. On a trip to Fashion Week, Paris, she met many wealthy and powerful people to whom she introduced herself as an Italian heiress and socialite who was looking for investors for her new and upcoming couture store in Paris. Over the past year Amara received over $500,000 from friends and business partners who wanted to invest in her store. However, Amara instead spent their money on expensive hotels and lavish vacations and hasn’t paid any money back (because she doesn’t have any) nor has she begun the process of building any store. She is currently in prison awaiting trial on the charges of grand larceny and theft of services, which carries a sentence of up to 15 years.

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Difficulties Faced While Working with this Inmate or Offender

Lack of Empathy

Playing victim

Impulsiveness

Verbal deception

The difficulties that I may face while working with this inmate is dealing with their lack of empathy, them trying to start conflict with me. Not redirecting their behavior can cause a conflict with them. Not focusing on their motive when dealing with them directly. Another difficulty is letting them get away with stuff. Letting them not take ownership for that actions can cause them to feel like they are always right. It can be seen in Amara Mora behavior that she can lie any time to get what they want because narcissistic features and lie-telling ability assessments predicted actual deception. Amara is likely to be deceptive and have a high propensity to exploit others, due to having low levels of emotional empathy, an inability to feel remorse, and the pathological ability and desire to deceive and manipulate.

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Difficulties Faced While Working with this Inmate or Offender

Believing his above other inmates in social status

Trust building

Feeling that he needs to be center of attention

Problem taking accountability for his actions

They can refuse treatment.

It will be difficult to build trust with her because they would need to have full control over anyone in order to earn their trust. They need to feel that power, and only when they feel you'll bow down to them for anything. It will be difficult because they lack empathy and at the same time need to take control for them to trust.

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Conclusion

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References:

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