Research on narcissism is hampered by its ambiguous definition and theoretical controversies in understanding its main determinants, etiology, prevalence and dimensions. Different conceptualizations gain additional importance by considering the results of analyses at a higher level, such as meta-analyses, where one can speculate about the justification of drawing conclusions due to the incomparability of constructs between different studies. Increased interest in the research of the term in the last 20 years speaks of its relevance in the understanding of modern man, and interpretations in popular culture require theoretical clarification for possibility of scientific argumentation about the accuracy of the understanding of narcissism. A large number of conceptions of narcissism require the placement of the construct in the general framework of the current understanding of personality structures within the abnormal-normal continuum, which enables the connection of subclinical and clinical understandings of narcissism. In this way, clinical narcissism becomes an extreme manifestation of narcissistic features, while the same behaviors expressed to a lesser extent, less dysfunctional for the individual and their environment, will be characterized as subclinical narcissism. Observing the dysfunctions of the interpersonal domain, expressed in narcissism, through the prism of the (dys)functionality of behavioral patterns as a result of a continuum understanding of the construct enables the comparison of different conceptions of narcissism, the theoretical explanation of positive interventions in the addressing of narcissism in practice, and opens the way to destigmatizing the term in non-scientific or non-clinical communities. The goal of this paper is to describe the current view of the construct and basic conception of narcissism throughout history, to connect it with relevant constructs and to place it in the cultural context of today´s world.