Samenvatting

In this article we will discuss that certain psychological disorders may be strenuous to separate from other specific psychopathologies. In this article we will focus on the differential diagnosis between narcissism and psychopathy in particular. Both psychopathologies show correlations with aggression and violence in intimate partner relationships. One important part of the differential process is to master the discriminating symptoms. We will elaborate on these discriminating factors between narcissism and psychopathy. We also propose that it is important to invest in educating health care professionals who work on cases of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) about the possible role of narcissism or psychopathy in such cases, the separate disorders but also about the differences between these two disorders so they can elevate and adjust their practise of care, intervention and prevention.