Narcissistic Personality Disorder: A Case Study

Corey Madison is a 36 year old married man. Until recently, Corey was a lawyer, but he was recently fired and is currently unemployed. When Corey was seven years old, his parents divorced and Corey grew up living with his mother and two younger brothers. Corey has been married for two years, but his wife recently discovered his involvement in several extramarital relationships and he is now in therapy at the behest of his wife. Corey suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (“NPD”). Sufferers of NPD exhibit several symptoms, including: a grandiose sense of self importance, a demand for constant attention and admiration, and poor response to criticism and to being slighted. People with NPD often have problems in relationships due to their …show more content…
During childhood, he was known to befriend others whom he believed to serve some purpose to him, but ultimately bullied and teased them if he thought they were weak or vulnerable. In college, Corey won a scholarship to play hockey but was kicked off the team after starting fights with his teammates. During adulthood, Corey was viewed by colleagues as a, “lone ranger” and by friends as unreliable. Often, Corey’s adult relationships consist of him making plans with others and eventually abandoning them for more exciting options. His friends, however, often reported feeling relieved after he cancelled plans as it is difficult to predict what will trigger his fits of rage. Friends cite multiple incidences where benign comments or innocent physical contact at crowded bars led to bar fights. Corey’s presence at therapy is, of course, related to his difficulty maintaining relationships. He is here because of his extramarital relationships; his behavior in response to his wife’s discovery of these relationships - namely his assertion that there was no problem with cheating and his defense that she “knew about him” when they met - is telling and was key to providing this