Do you know who this is?
I didn’t know who or what one was, until I left. After that, it all started to make sense.
Turns out a narcissist is someone who exhibits a personality disorder characterized by an excessive preoccupation with self. A grandiose sense of self-importance, and a lack of empathy for others. I’m not the only one who has lived this experience.
The term “narcissist” originates from the Greek myth of Narcissus, a young man who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. Bringing a whole new meaning to self-love. In psychological terms, narcissism is an inflated self-image and an overbearing need for attention.
Narcissist generally have a range of distinctive behaviours. They possess an exaggerated sense of self-importance and believe they are unique or exceptional. Now, we are all special in our own way, but this is a next level exceptional. They constantly seek praise and admiration from others. A deep need for validation, exaggerating their accomplishments to maintain their grandiose self-perception image.
They lack empathy and struggle to understand or care about the feelings and experiences of others, including their children. Instead they exploit and manipulate people to fulfil their own desires.
Relationships with narcissists are hard. Very hard. They prioritize their own needs and crush your boundaries. They are envious when others receive attention or success because it threatens their own sense of superiority.
Narcissists exhibit an astronomical sense of entitlement. They believe they deserve special treatment and privileges. They exploit relationships for personal gain. This entitlement means they don’t care about rules, laws and social norms because they believe they are exempt from the consequences that apply to regular law abiding citizens like you and I.
Even though narcissists project charisma, confidence and superiority; underneath, their self-esteem is as fragile as a house of cards. The self-image they portray serves as a defence mechanism to protect against feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness.
They don’t handle criticism or rejection very well which causes intense exaggerated emotional reactions such as screaming, anger, aggression and withdrawal.
The proper name for diagnosis is Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). Not all people who display some narcissistic traits will have narcissistic personality disorder. NPD is only diagnosed when these traits significantly impair a person’s functioning and relationships. The NPD label is normally given by a qualified professional after diagnosis.
CBT therapy can help to treat the narcissist but they never want to do therapy and if they agree they can treat it like a game just to appease you. They are reluctant to acknowledge their own flaws and seek help. They have to willingly engage for successful treatment.
I said all of this to say…you may not recognise the narcissist from jump and the narcissist probably doesn’t even know he is a narcissist….even so, once you see it, you can’t un-see it, and things become crystal clear after your awareness of the character traits associated with narcissism.
This blog is a place where I prove to you that there is a wonderful life beyond the narcissist experience… it’s a place where I prove to you that you have all that you need and it’s a place where I prove to you that….you are not alone…you got this and I love you.
