Abstracting and Indexing

  • Google Scholar
  • CrossRef
  • WorldCat
  • ResearchGate
  • Academic Keys
  • DRJI
  • Microsoft Academic
  • Academia.edu
  • OpenAIRE

Losing Face: Narcissism in Medical Training

Article Information

Joshua F Ceñido, MD, MS, MBA1,2,*, Osagie N Obanor, MD1,2

1Department of Psychiatry at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, United States

2Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, 550 S Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, United States

*Corresponding Author: Dr. Joshua Francisco Ceñido, MD, MS, MBA, Department of Psychiatry, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, 1731 E 120th Street, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Received: 17 July 2020; Accepted: 23 July 2020; Published: 31 July 2020

Citation: Joshua F Ceñido, Osagie N Obanor. Losing Face: Narcissism in Medical Training. Journal of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Disorders 4 (2020): 188-190.

View / Download Pdf Share at Facebook

Abstract

Narcissistic Personality Disorder is often identified by several criteria, including grandiosity and self-importance; a belief that one is uniquely exceptional; a sense of entitlement; being interpersonally exploitative; a lack of empathy; a need for excessive admiration; envy or a belief that others are envious of themself; and arrogance [1]. With the air of an unparalleled deservingness to rise to such an admirable vocation, several perfect combinations of the aforementioned criteria often confer upon residency programs what appears to be an attractive candidate.

Narcissism articles Narcissism Research articles Narcissism review articles Narcissism PubMed articles Narcissism PubMed Central articles Narcissism 2023 articles Narcissism 2024 articles Narcissism Scopus articles Narcissism impact factor journals Narcissism Scopus journals Narcissism PubMed journals Narcissism medical journals Narcissism free journals Narcissism best journals Narcissism top journals Narcissism free medical journals Narcissism famous journals Narcissism Google Scholar indexed journals deservingness articles deservingness Research articles deservingness review articles deservingness PubMed articles deservingness PubMed Central articles deservingness 2023 articles deservingness 2024 articles deservingness Scopus articles deservingness impact factor journals deservingness Scopus journals deservingness PubMed journals deservingness medical journals deservingness free journals deservingness best journals deservingness top journals deservingness free medical journals deservingness famous journals deservingness Google Scholar indexed journals functional liability. articles functional liability. Research articles functional liability. review articles functional liability. PubMed articles functional liability. PubMed Central articles functional liability. 2023 articles functional liability. 2024 articles functional liability. Scopus articles functional liability. impact factor journals functional liability. Scopus journals functional liability. PubMed journals functional liability. medical journals functional liability. free journals functional liability. best journals functional liability. top journals functional liability. free medical journals functional liability. famous journals functional liability. Google Scholar indexed journals psychiatry articles psychiatry Research articles psychiatry review articles psychiatry PubMed articles psychiatry PubMed Central articles psychiatry 2023 articles psychiatry 2024 articles psychiatry Scopus articles psychiatry impact factor journals psychiatry Scopus journals psychiatry PubMed journals psychiatry medical journals psychiatry free journals psychiatry best journals psychiatry top journals psychiatry free medical journals psychiatry famous journals psychiatry Google Scholar indexed journals Personality Disorder articles Personality Disorder Research articles Personality Disorder review articles Personality Disorder PubMed articles Personality Disorder PubMed Central articles Personality Disorder 2023 articles Personality Disorder 2024 articles Personality Disorder Scopus articles Personality Disorder impact factor journals Personality Disorder Scopus journals Personality Disorder PubMed journals Personality Disorder medical journals Personality Disorder free journals Personality Disorder best journals Personality Disorder top journals Personality Disorder free medical journals Personality Disorder famous journals Personality Disorder Google Scholar indexed journals arrogance articles arrogance Research articles arrogance review articles arrogance PubMed articles arrogance PubMed Central articles arrogance 2023 articles arrogance 2024 articles arrogance Scopus articles arrogance impact factor journals arrogance Scopus journals arrogance PubMed journals arrogance medical journals arrogance free journals arrogance best journals arrogance top journals arrogance free medical journals arrogance famous journals arrogance Google Scholar indexed journals program stakeholders articles program stakeholders Research articles program stakeholders review articles program stakeholders PubMed articles program stakeholders PubMed Central articles program stakeholders 2023 articles program stakeholders 2024 articles program stakeholders Scopus articles program stakeholders impact factor journals program stakeholders Scopus journals program stakeholders PubMed journals program stakeholders medical journals program stakeholders free journals program stakeholders best journals program stakeholders top journals program stakeholders free medical journals program stakeholders famous journals program stakeholders Google Scholar indexed journals  narcissist’s favor articles  narcissist’s favor Research articles  narcissist’s favor review articles  narcissist’s favor PubMed articles  narcissist’s favor PubMed Central articles  narcissist’s favor 2023 articles  narcissist’s favor 2024 articles  narcissist’s favor Scopus articles  narcissist’s favor impact factor journals  narcissist’s favor Scopus journals  narcissist’s favor PubMed journals  narcissist’s favor medical journals  narcissist’s favor free journals  narcissist’s favor best journals  narcissist’s favor top journals  narcissist’s favor free medical journals  narcissist’s favor famous journals  narcissist’s favor Google Scholar indexed journals Image articles Image Research articles Image review articles Image PubMed articles Image PubMed Central articles Image 2023 articles Image 2024 articles Image Scopus articles Image impact factor journals Image Scopus journals Image PubMed journals Image medical journals Image free journals Image best journals Image top journals Image free medical journals Image famous journals Image Google Scholar indexed journals Losing Face articles Losing Face Research articles Losing Face review articles Losing Face PubMed articles Losing Face PubMed Central articles Losing Face 2023 articles Losing Face 2024 articles Losing Face Scopus articles Losing Face impact factor journals Losing Face Scopus journals Losing Face PubMed journals Losing Face medical journals Losing Face free journals Losing Face best journals Losing Face top journals Losing Face free medical journals Losing Face famous journals Losing Face Google Scholar indexed journals

Article Details

Narcissistic Personality Disorder is often identified by several criteria, including grandiosity and self-importance; a belief that one is uniquely exceptional; a sense of entitlement; being interpersonally exploitative; a lack of empathy; a need for excessive admiration; envy or a belief that others are envious of themself; and arrogance [1]. With the air of an unparalleled deservingness to rise to such an admirable vocation, several perfect combinations of the aforementioned criteria often confer upon residency programs what appears to be an attractive candidate.

So if the candidate has proven the ability to meet minimum exam score requirements and certifications, scrounge together a curriculum vitae, and smarm their recommendation writers and evaluators more effectively than other candidates on interview day, what risk does recruiting the narcissist present to the unsuspecting program?

Ideally, program leadership can remediate the situation if certain individuals are found prioritizing their own benefit over the interests, well-being, or safety of patients or other program stakeholders. Unfortunately, the gravity of this damage is often surreptitious and allowed to pass, especially as residency cohorts force narcissists to operate as equals with the meek and humble. The competent meek are required in every successful bureaucracy for their honest work in maintaining standards and compliance, despite premonitions of group discordance and the failures of those around and above them.

The security and upward mobility of the narcissistic resident relies on two parties: program leadership who perceive that the precariousness of their own position hinges on the seamless success of their administration, and the quiet competent resident whose aspirations are wasted by an administration directed by fear. The narcissist’s ‘window dressing’ activities enhance their own external image, and at times the outward image of their institution, while regularly deprioritizing and thus hurting the institution’s performance [2]. The upkeep of this superficial image often destroys organizations by putting the group’s morale, cohesion, and reputation at risk [3]. To continue abstracting any public esteem readily available, organization leadership may prioritize the incentive of perpetuating positive narratives, protecting the star narcissist’s veritable fraudulence from being exposed [4]. Fear of this exposure can be well-leveraged by the narcissist’s volatility, all-or-nothing thinking, and poor distress tolerance, all serving as means by which their manipulation of others can be accomplished, and necessitating the asylum that only those with titular authority can provide [5]. Each time a narcissist is allowed to escape accountability, the organization’s moral fiber is internally perceived as compromised, which in turn potentiates the social and organizational pathology. This reinforces that the narcissist’s fears of inadequacy and lack of regard prove useful in the narcissist’s favor, providing further impetus for averring self-importance and deservingness.

Having committed to the narcissistic trainee, administrators may be tempted to choose not to acknowledge the functional liability. Instead, administrators must prioritize cultural and organizational integrity over saving face, and choose not to hedge their failures. Efforts to aid the narcissist in appearing successful only mask the pathology and contribute to narcissistic dysfunction’s ability to spread to affiliates and corrupt affected institutions. Star narcissists, equipped with sterling recommendations from their hostage institutions, advance by beguiling the public and the next set of evaluators, failing upwards from organization to organization.

In residency and especially in psychiatry, it is important for selection committees to acknowledge that endorsements for the narcissist may be made at the behest of the evaluator’s own self-interest or general disinterest. Volunteering the health and potential of an organization, meant to train the next generation of physicians, as ransom in exchange for saving face is irresponsible and presents a danger to the culture of modern medicine as well as to patients who may consequently become less and less the priority.

Disclosures and Acknowledgments

Both Osagie N. Obanor and Joshua F. Ceñido report having no conflicts of interest and have nothing to disclose.

References

  1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association (2013).
  2. Braun S. Leader narcissism and outcomes in organizations: A review at multiple levels of analysis and implications for future research. Front Psychol 8 (2017).
  3. Wright A, Stepp S, Scott L, et al. The effect of pathological narcissism on interpersonal and affective processes in social interactions. J Abnorm Psychol 126 (2017): 898-910.
  4. Rijsenbilt A, Commandeur H. Narcissus enters the courtroom: CEO narcissism and fraud. J Bus Ethics 117 (2012): 413-429.
  5. Kacel E, Ennis N, Pereira D. Narcissistic personality disorder in clinical health psychology practice: Case studies of comorbid psychological distress and life-limiting illness. Behav Med 43 (2017): 156-164.

Journal Statistics

Impact Factor: * 2.6

CiteScore: 2.9

Acceptance Rate: 11.01%

Time to first decision: 10.4 days

Time from article received to acceptance: 2-3 weeks

Discover More: Recent Articles

Grant Support Articles

© 2016-2024, Copyrights Fortune Journals. All Rights Reserved!