Why Is Narcissist So STUPID? (Borderlines and Psychopaths, too!)

There is disagreement as to whether people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder have an IQ which is higher than the average (Carver, 1977), or lower (Swirsky-Sacchetti, 1993). The same debate rages over NPD and psychopathy. But this may be the wrong question. IQ tests measure types of intelligence that have little to do with life skills and perspicacity (wisdom). The cluster B personality disordered are pseudo-stupid (covert) and stupid (overt, grandiose): their grandiosity (a severe cognitive distortion) impairs their reality testing and self-efficacy and it alienates people, narrowing their opportunities and subjecting them to adversity. They often lack impulse control, are defiant and contumacious, or decompensate under stress. These drawbacks guarantee frustration or worse. They are dissociative, so are bad at learning from past experiences. They are entitled and manic, so never plan thoroughly or execute with attention to detail. They are immature: the