Society at large, I think, loves to pick up jargon from elite levels of education, and every once in awhile, throw those words around like they know what they're talking about. Hence, the overuse of the terms "narc", and "toxic". It makes them appear hip, and smarter than other people in the room, I suppose.

There are always deeper layers to mental health terminology than any lay person could ever expect.

For my part, the situation is rather personal.

From what I have read over the last few years, when I began to suspect that I had been the victim of actual emotional abuse by several people close to me over the years, I also began to make distinctions between the different things I had been forced to endure.

I had, in my mind, over the years, realized that these individuals had genuinely earned the then-trendy label of "toxic", by varying degrees. I had been raised to believe there was an ounce of good in everybody, somewhere. But understanding that there were people with disordered thinking, who walked among us, well-disguised and often convincingly charming, likeable people (on the surface), was a revelation to me. It was the first step in a long self-therapy, and it enabled me to stop thinking of myself as a clueless doormat. So "toxic", unless it's used to wound an innocent person, doesn't bother me.

Subsequent to this, and after a lot of reading, I developed a much better understanding of what the DSM-5 considers to be Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and the sub-types of narcissistic tendencies. There are subtle, but clearly cut, differences.

At first, it was pretty confusing. But over time, and upon much reflection of certain interactions in my life, I was able to get my head around it. With understanding, came a lot of healing.

So, the same goes for the truncated "narc".

My own pet peeve is people whose lives have not been touched by mental illness
giving out over-simplified "advice" to people who are suffering. That's the one that really makes me see red!