Like the man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz, the elitist narcissist strives to maintain a prestigious, larger-than-life persona. Sadly, this person has such a strong need to be the grand figure that the fantasy is believed rather than consciously adopted to cover perceived inadequacies, as is the case with the compensatory narcissist. In effect, the elitist narcissist has literally become the fantasy.“Most [elitist narcissists] are upwardly mobile, seeking to cultivate their sense of specialness and personal advantage by associating with those who may possess genuine achievements and recognition. Many elitist narcissistic individuals will create comparisons between themselves and others, turning personal relationships into public competitions and contests . . . . Status and self-promotion and the wish to be celebrities and famous are all that matters . . . . By the persistence and social intrusiveness of their behaviors, narcissistic elitist individuals may begin to alienate themselves from others and the admiration they seek . . . . Some may become overtly hostile, acquiring characteristics of paranoid persons, quickly losing the remaining elements of their former charm and cleverness, and becoming increasingly contemptuous of people they feel are treating them so shabbily. . . . As these self-protective beliefs and actions gaining their defensive and negative tone, the elitist narcissistic person comes to be seen as an undesirable and embarrassing person, a touchy and inflated character whom others wish to shun.”1
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Click on the note number to return to where you were above; click on the author's name to go to the bibliographic entry.1Millon, 1998, pp. 96-97