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Narcissistic Deficiency Screening Questionnaire3

Narcissistic Deficiency Screening Questionnaire Test

Understand whether insecurity and harsh self-criticism hide behind a confident image in about 8 minutes. Get clear, practical insights to guide next steps for self-work or therapy conversations.

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Questions: 438 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

23,402 views

2,831 completion

2,257 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

10/13

Mental Attitudes (MA)

Measures mental attitudes related to self-esteem, internal demands, and how you interpret success and mistakes.

Self-critical standards

Balanced standards

Confident mindset

0 – 4: Self-critical standards | 5 – 9: Balanced standards | 10 – 13: Confident mindset

A score of 10 falls in the Confident mindset range, suggesting generally stable self-evaluation and less tendency toward harsh self-criticism under pressure.

example score

4/10

Interpersonal Relations (IR)

Measures how comfortably a person builds relationships and how strongly they rely on others' approval in interpersonal interactions.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 3: Low | 4 – 6: Moderate | 7 – 10: High

A score of 4 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting generally workable relationships with some sensitivity to evaluation or uncertainty in closeness.

example score

8/20

Self-Esteem (SE)

Measures satisfaction with oneself and the perceived sense of personal worth versus self-criticism.

Low self-esteem

Moderate self-esteem

High self-esteem

0 – 9: Low self-esteem | 10 – 15: Moderate self-esteem | 16 – 20: High self-esteem

A score of 8 falls in the Low self-esteem range, suggesting reduced self-acceptance and a stronger tendency toward self-criticism and inner insecurity.

example score

23/43

Deficit Narcissism Scale (DNS)

Measures the degree of deficient narcissism expressed as chronic self-dissatisfaction, feelings of unworthiness, and harsh self-demands that may be masked by a confident facade.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 14: Low | 15 – 29: Moderate | 30 – 43: High

A score of 23 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable tendency toward self-criticism and feeling “not good enough,” with pressure to meet very high internal standards.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

High-achieving self-critics

41%OF USERS

People who look competent and driven but privately feel never good enough, obsess over mistakes, and push themselves to exhaustion.

People-pleasers with a strong face

34%OF USERS

Those who try to be unfailingly kind, reliable, and composed while hiding insecurity and fearing rejection or disappointment.

Therapy-minded self-explorers

25%OF USERS

People who want a quick, structured self-check to understand their inner contradictions and decide what to work on next, alone or with a psychologist.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Mental Mindsets (MM)

Average

6.4

Normal range

4.2 — 8.6

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Relationships with People (RwP)

Average

6.8

Normal range

5.4 — 8.1

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Self-esteem (S)

Average

14.7

Normal range

11.5 — 17.9

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Deficient Narcissism Scale (DNS)

Average

16.9

Normal range

10.5 — 23.3

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Yes
- No
- Yes
- No
- Yes
- No

These are 3 of the 43 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Questionnaire for Detecting Narcissistic Deficiency Test

Narcissistic Deficiency Screening Questionnaire Test - Symptoms and Signs

narcissism

This self-report instrument is designed to screen for traits commonly associated with vulnerable or deficit-oriented narcissistic functioning. The Narcissistic Deficiency Screening Questionnaire uses structured items to assess self-evaluative concerns, sensitivity to perceived shortcomings, and internal strain related to high personal standards.

The measure includes 43 items and typically takes about 8 minutes to complete. Responses are intended to support initial case formulation and to guide follow-up clinical interviewing rather than to establish a diagnosis. Although it is sometimes attributed to Heinz Kohut, the Narcissistic Deficiency Screening Questionnaire should be interpreted within the broader clinical context, including current symptoms, functional impairment, and relevant developmental and interpersonal history.

Author: Heinz Kohut

Literature: Pincus, A. L., & Lukowitsky, M. R. Pathological narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology. 2010.; Ronningstam, E. Narcissistic personality disorder: A clinical perspective. Journal of Psychiatric Practice. 2011.