A person may have narcissistic personality traits or the more extreme narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). People with these traits can tend to believe and act as though they are superior to others. They have a grossly inflated view of themselves and often display grandiose behaviour.
What is narcissism?
Narcissism is a personality type that can be very challenging for people to deal with, mainly due to the fact that the narcissist doesn't believe they are ever at fault or to blame, so resolving conflicts with a narcissist can be extremely difficult.
A narcissist often underestimates the impact that their negative words and actions can have on others, which leads to problematic situations and conflicts.
They also have a disconnect in the way they process their thoughts and understanding of their emotion responses, this is why often they can hurt others without feeling any kind of remorse or empathy.
Is narcissism a disorder?
Many of us have narcissistic traits to some degree, but this does not mean we are all narcissists. When someone has a high level of narcissism and posses a lot of the traits they may be diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is one of ten diagnosable personality disorders, which is characterised by a grandiose sense of self and a lack of empathy.
Is my partner a narcissist?
Narcissists usually possess most or all of the following characteristics.
They have a lack of compassion and empathy
They have a chronic need for others to admire them
They can be very envious of others
They are very charming in the beginning
They may have an inflated sense of importance and will often exaggerate their own achievements and talents to others
They believe they are special and better than others
They are never the issue, but it's everyone else in their life that are the source of their problems
They takes advantage of others and possibly even you
They have a strong sense of entitlement and expect favourable treatment
They can be very arrogant and will make everything about them
They fantasise about having success, fame or power and try to make others believe they are important
Can therapy help a narcissist?
It is very rare for individuals with narcissism to actively seek therapy due a lack of insight into their difficulties, so if this is you take note of what an achievement this is to be here right now and reading this.
There are no medications to specifically treat narcissistic personality disorder. The primary approach for managing narcissistic personality is talking to a psychologist, counsellor or psychotherapist. Your therapist will first help you to acknowledge that you have a problem and better understand your own behavioural traits. They will work with you to consider the impact of these traits on your relationships and help to identify and implement strategies for behaviour change.
