Not all narcissists crave the spotlight. Some resent the world for not handing it to them.

Modern research on narcissism suggests that we can distinguish between two main types.

The first is grandiose narcissism. This is the classic version people tend to picture. Grandiose narcissists are thick-skinned and largely immune to criticism. If you tell them they are not that impressive, it barely registers. In their minds, the answer is simple: I know I’m great. If you say they fall short, they dismiss it outright.

This disposition is not just a personality quirk. It is also linked, in a modest way, to outcomes. Grandiose narcissism tends to correlate positively with subjective well-being—things like happiness, life satisfaction, and general confidence about how life is going. There is even a small statistical relationship with income. It is not large, but it points in a consistent direction.

The second type is vulnerable narcissism, and in many ways it is the mirror image.

Vulnerable narcissists still see themselves as central and deserving. They want admiration and believe they are entitled to it. But unlike the grandiose type, they struggle to act on these impulses in the real world. Where grandiose narcissists seek out attention, vulnerable narcissists hesitate.

They tend to be more introverted and more sensitive to judgment. They want recognition, but they fear rejection. As a result, much of their attention-seeking plays out in fantasy rather than action. They imagine being admired—a famous musician, a political figure, someone widely respected—but they often withdraw from situations where that admiration might be tested.

In some cases, this retreat takes modern forms. They may create online personas, for example, where the risk is buffered. If the persona is criticized, it does not feel as personal.

Both types share a common core: a desire for attention and a sense of being the center of things. But they diverge sharply in temperament. Grandiose narcissists are outward-facing, confident, and relatively emotionally stable. Vulnerable narcissists are more inward-facing, more anxious, and higher in traits like neuroticism, which makes them more prone to negative emotion.