NPD (narcissistic personality disorder) is complex and while it is possible to have a good eye for identifying them, it's nearly impossible to tell during job interview.
Thankfully, most people with NPD want to live off of others for free, so the majority of narcissists are not in the work place.
However, there are other not-so-great types that are more common in the work place. At the end of the day learning the ideal way to handle conflict (including with an abusive boss) is a productive endeavor, because that knowledge helps with many difficult situations. A master key of sorts is both how to handle conflict and how to identify dangerous people.
For more information on how to identify them this comment I just wrote explains where they are coming from to a decent degree of detail: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21494295
It helps to identify what people around you want, understand how manipulation works, and to not blindly believe stories. Most people believe or disbelieve what they hear. Having a third category that keeps track of unverified information helps identify when someone starts lying. Narcissists lie quite a bit, but they're not compulsive liars either. Sometimes it will take years to catch on.
Thankfully, most people with NPD want to live off of others for free, so the majority of narcissists are not in the work place.
However, there are other not-so-great types that are more common in the work place. At the end of the day learning the ideal way to handle conflict (including with an abusive boss) is a productive endeavor, because that knowledge helps with many difficult situations. A master key of sorts is both how to handle conflict and how to identify dangerous people.
For more information on how to identify them this comment I just wrote explains where they are coming from to a decent degree of detail: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21494295
It helps to identify what people around you want, understand how manipulation works, and to not blindly believe stories. Most people believe or disbelieve what they hear. Having a third category that keeps track of unverified information helps identify when someone starts lying. Narcissists lie quite a bit, but they're not compulsive liars either. Sometimes it will take years to catch on.
For how to handle difficult situations, the book In Sheep's Clothing is a quicker read that most books and dives into how to respond to ASPDs and NPDs in the work place: https://www.amazon.com/Sheeps-Clothing-Understanding-Dealing...