Identifying people who are high in narcissism might seem like a pretty obvious process. The grandiose type, who lets everyone know about how great they are, provides plenty of clues to their need for attention and special treatment. The vulnerable type, whose narcissism reflects more of an anxious desire for approval, can be more difficult to detect, at least until they become angered and revengeful.
However, given that narcissism is such an undesirable quality, especially in group settings where people must work together, people high in this personality trait may put on a façade to achieve their goals of recognition and status. Instead of pushing their way ahead of everyone, they put on a guise of false modesty as they seek surreptitious ways to accomplish their goals. You can’t call them out on their behavior, because it's not apparent.
Recognizing that narcissism can take this “implicit” form, in which its overt qualities are hidden, Ramzi Fatfouta and Dominik Schwarzinger of Berlin’s University of Applied Sciences (2024) note that: “distinguishing explicit and implicit narcissism is important because they have different underlying mechanisms and may have different effects on behavior.” In the workplace, which is the focus of their study, narcissism can have important detrimental effects, referred to as “counterproductive work behaviors” or “CWB.”
Perhaps you worked with a colleague who seemed friendly and cooperative but also tended to dominate and occasionally derail meetings. One day, much to everyone’s surprise, this........