Narcissistic Boredom vs. Narcissistic Emptiness

"When examining the inner experiences of individuals high in narcissism, two feelings are frequently discussed yet often confused: narcissistic and narcissistic emptiness. Both can be explained as internal states or feelings that may appear similar on the surface, or to the casual observer. However, they are fundamentally different in how they manifest behaviorally."

"Narcissistic boredom is defined as a feeling of restlessness, a hypersensitivity to peace or quiet (often explained as a feeling of unease or dread for the mundane), a need for "supply" that leads to actively looking for sources of external validation, and a sense of novelty-seeking behavior."

"On the flipside, narcissistic emptiness is defined as a deep void, or an existential feeling of lack. Narcissistic emptiness may be described as a vacuum, a feeling of being hollow or deficient in human feelings that originates from early traumatic experiences where a young child experienced neglect, and a lack of emotional validation and mirroring from their caregivers. 1, 2 With narcissistic emptiness, a person may look confident, socially charismatic, and outgoing, but their behavior is driven by desperation to fill their emptiness with attention, power, control, or materialistic possessions as a way of overcompensating for their lack of internal self-regulation and worth."

Narcissistic experiences often split into two distinct states: boredom and emptiness. Narcissistic boredom manifests as restlessness, hypersensitivity to quiet, unease with the mundane, and relentless novelty-seeking to obtain external validation. High reward sensitivity and poor delayed gratification underpin this pursuit of immediate supply. Narcissistic emptiness manifests as a deep, existential void rooted in early neglect and lack of emotional mirroring, producing hollowness and deficiency. Outward charisma can mask desperation to fill the void with attention, power, control, or possessions, reflecting attempts to compensate for weak internal self-regulation and diminished self-worth.

Read at Psychology Today