vulnerable narcissism

A personality construct characterized by fragile self-esteem, a sense of entitlement and a total lack of resilience to life's ups and downs. Contrary to popular thought, it is not a distinct personality type, but rather the outcome of a prior issue such as Borderline Personality Disorder, Paranoid Personality Disorder. Avoidant Personality Disorder or just extremely low self-esteem. People with high levels of vulnerable narcissism tend to be excessively self-conscious, self-absorbed and expect to be handled with kid gloves at all times. Intolerance to differing opinions and an egregious sense of victimization tend to characterize these types. (See Social Justice Warrior) If you know someone whose self-esteem seems to be excessively unstable and fragile, you might be dealing with someone with high amounts of vulnerable narcissism.