This isn't to say that genes are not a factor in NPD. We don't know that, but there is some evidence that appears supportive of that hypothesis. Further, just from what we know about the human genome and how it works, we can say that it is probably true that genetic factors may make one person more likely to develop NPD than another.
For instance, there are alleles of genes (at least in combinations) that affect how much transmitter substance certain brain cells release. One unlucky person could have a bad mix of several that make him more upset when someone pays little attention to him. Bingo — a factor that makes him likely to brood more as a child when Mother is too busy.
That doesn't make him a narcissist, but it makes him more likely to choose the path in life that leads to NPD.
It's easy to imagine other genetic scenarios, such as one that makes one child empathize more readily than another.
These genetic scenarios could be very complicated, and therefore it isn't hard to see why research hasn't established any yet.
But note that you can't say a gene makes anyone beat or slander another person. Genes may affect "affect" (emotion) but they can't control behavior.
In fact, you can't even say that NPD makes anyone beat or slander another person.
Behavior just doesn't work that way. Beating your girlfriend or slandering your best friend is voluntary behavior. And a narcissist proves that he isn't forced to do such things, because he never does them while anyone else is looking.
He beats his girlfriend only behind closed doors when they are alone. He slanders his best friend behind the back and by whispering into one ear at a time. That behavior is pure sneakiness, which can't be blamed on NPD or any gene.
His temptation to do these things certainly comes from NPD. And maybe this temptation has something to do with some genes he carries. But we all have feelings and temptations. They are no excuse for our behavior, let alone a cause. In fact, the narcissist's ability to act like a saint whenever there are witnesses proves that no gene is controlling him like a robot. That proves he is acting out of free will.
And what about all the normal children of narcissists there are? If they carry potent narcissistic genes, those genes must have some effect on them. So, you'd expect them to be attracted to people they feel they can easily dominate. But it is generally believed that the opposite is true.
Therefore, if there are genes that produce narcissistic tendencies, they simply did NOT work in the normal children of narcissists. These children chose not to be like that through their own free will. They deserve some credit for that!
That's the flip-side of relieving narcissists of their responsibility for themselves: you also deny the normal children of narcissists the credit they deserve. That sucks.
In other words, most children of narcissists turn out normal and are therefore standing evidence against any hypothesis that blames narcissism on genes. Though it is likely that genes are a factor making one child more likely than another to choose the wrong path, it is unlikely that genes are a potent enough factor to constitute an excuse.
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