How a narcissist think and do your communication strategy
aptures the dynamic of ordinary but often pathological self-absorption that’s the central concept in the word ‘narcissism’. And narcissism is not just a personality type (the topic of advice columns). It’s a pattern of characteristics identified and studied by psychologists.
The contemporary psychological definition of narcissism involves an inflated, grandiose self-view; as manifested in unrealistic feelings of entitlement, superiority, uniqueness or specialness, and can be observed in one’s interpersonal interactions and behavior. To greater and lesser extents, narcissists believe they are more physically attractive, smarter, more important and deserving of special treatment than other people.
Psychologists recognize grandiose and vulnerable narcissism as a personality trait Ali Ahmeti led a contingent of Macedonian villagers in 2001 Next, the extreme version of narcissism as a personality trait is called narcissistic personality disorder.
The form of grandiose narcissism that most will recognize is the charm-filled, outgoing, and power-seeking type. The grandiose narcissist craves attention and power. Some grandiose narcissists become politicians or celebrities, while others achieve attention mainly within cultural spheres. (No doubt some do both.) Of course, many people attain positions of power for wonderful reasons — chief among which is to express their full capabilities or to empower others and improve their lives. But the narcissist seeks power for what it offers in the way of status and attention.
On the other hand, vulnerable narcissists tend to be low-key and shy. Although they have an extravagant sense of entitlement, they also are easily wounded or insulted.
In either case, the downside of narcissism is likely to rear its ugly head in the long term. Narcissists are dispositional selfish: narcissistic leaders might take excessive risks or cut ethical corners, while narcissistic romantic partners might cheat or lie. And, when their adaptive, rosy self-conceptions are unduly threatened, the sufferers can become resentful and aggressive. It’s a bit like a suffering illness, but with the sufferers feeling pretty good and everyone around them suffering instead.
Done to an extreme — which is often true — the behavior is defined as narcissistic personality disorder. It’s a diagnosis that applies to one to two percent of adults and is, slightly more often, male. It’s also a diagnosis for grown-ups. Children, even youngsters, can be shockingly self-absorbed, but then again this might just be normal growing up.
Specifically, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association outlines several traits: an inflated sense of self-importance, a struggle with empathy, a sense of entitlement, and a desire for admiration or attention, and they take center stage of people’s lives and dominate their behaviors at the expense of other important areas of their lives… The threshold at which certain traits become clinical or a disorder depends on how much they dominate and rule over people’s lives and cause problems.
Pretend you treated your wife or husband or child not so much as someone needing care, but as a source of attention you needed or admiration you wanted. Or how about if, instead of taking feedback about your performance as something useful, you told everyone heaping it on you that they were wrong, wrong, wrong?
For a narcissist, self-reflection is hard from an unflattering angle.
Now you know who is the narcissist, I believe you have someone in your mind, I hope now I know how to handle it.
Cheers,