​​One of the significant personal qualities that an individual with NPD could obtain is a lack of empathy, the ability to understand someone and share the feelings of one another. “Narcissistic individuals are characterized by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Empathy is essential for carrying a route to academic and career success. Since empathy is vital to working with others or “putting yourself in their shoes," strong empathy can result in better communication skills, less aggressive behavioral issues, and more positive relationships. According to most psychologists, one of the most probable and effective ways to promote empathy would be through our educational programs. It is essential to help establish a sense of empathy in each person at a young age, which will help them through life and avoid narcissistic behavior. Educational institutions are one of the most prominent aspects of shaping an individual, so teaching them good behaviors and values at a young age is essential. We can do that by creating opportunities for students to get involved with their community's services. Such things could push students out of their comfort zone and require them to build on their sense of social responsibility, driving their empathy for others and encouraging more compassionate behavior. Professors and teachers could provide additional help by being trained in the behaviors of narcissism. With this training, they could address these manners from a student and try to guide and support them to better understand the problem with their narcissistic actions.

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One of the most significant contributing factors to the rise of narcissism is social media. With the rise of the 21st generation, social media has become a staple of our culture. It is a way of communicating with friends, connecting with new people, and showing what you have been up to. It doesn't sound bad, right? Well, most psychologists believe that social media has opened a vast door for NPD to run rampant. A 2019 survey, hosted by a smartphone company named Honor, shows that 85% of people are taking more pictures of themselves than ever before.  This proves that social media has gone from just simply staying connected with others all the way to flaunting for one's attention. Recent research at the University of Ohio State found that people who post large amounts of selfies will have developed a 25% increase in narcissistic personality traits due to a constant rate of attention-seeking, and that was only within a four-month time period. This attention crave that narcissists have makes social media the perfect playground for them to expand their egos. “Narcissists want a large audience, and they work hard for it. They search for others who will boost their status, request connections, and use social media platforms more often to get attention and status” (The New Science of Narcissism, pg 44). We can possibly patch this problem by first promoting what NPD is in the first place—making it more extensive of a deal and opening the eyes of this generation to the lack of empathy or self-esteem that social media could possibly bring to your personality. Social media platforms should implement ways to encourage people to create supportive and meaningful relationships with others, making social media a less competitive online environment by making people care less about likes and followers and more about how other people are doing and keeping relationships alive.

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The best possible effective help we have with individuals diagnosed with NPD is multiple ways of therapy. Psychotherapy, above all, has proven to be one of the more common therapies for patients exhibiting signs of NPD. Psychologists must show empathy and patience towards their clients because healing is a gradual process. A great first step could be sitting down and locating the problem and setting a clear goal for a healthier lifestyle in the future through one-on-one conversations with a trained psychologist.  Cognitive therapy is also great for focusing on what negative patterns NPD has brought into life, making a plan, and finding ways to start replacing those ill behaviors with new and healthy ones. A small 2014 study shows that 53% of patients with NPD show better and healthier lifestyles after just two years of remission. “It’s not so easy to stop having NPD. That said, with the right therapy, you can learn to recognize your triggers and learn coping mechanisms or behavioral changes that can make a lasting, positive impact on your life” (Ann Pietrangelo, 2023). Although NPD is a disorder that affects the brain and cannot be fully cured, therapy is the best answer we have to making steps to becoming a better you.

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NPD is such a complex and multifaceted disorder that it could be confusing to find a permanent cure. Promoting empathy through schools and finding ways to boost self-esteem and fixing a corrupt way of thinking and perceiving social media could very well be a good step forward to protect us from this social epidemic. Other important steps could be taking the direction to identify the problem within yourself or in your relationship with others, taking steps to go through therapy, taking action as a community, and locating all the issues that social media could bring.  Maybe these could be the very steps to a cure that could end up being permanent.

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