Narcissists. We all know at least one. However, sometimes the signs are hard to diagnose and their “Holier than Thou” persona can be tricky to navigate in a safe way.
Narcissism is a personality disorder pertaining to selfishness, involving a sense of entitlement, a lack of empathy, and a need for admiration.
A telltale sign of a narcissist is they believe they are superior to you and everyone else. Many narcissists are also masters of gaslighting and manipulation. They will employ these tools to make you believe you are inferior as well.
Narcissists will do whatever they can for validation and respect. They are usually incapable of compassion and are unable to intimately connect with people.
In a home and family setting, narcissists likely negatively impact everyone. If your significant other is a narcissist, they are likely overly critical, distant and passive aggressive. If a parent is a narcissist you might be abused and neglected.
Sometimes the best way to deal with them is to cut them off and stop making contact with them. This is especially true if they are unable to see their faults and cannot stop the negative behavior.
According to clinical psychologist Carla Manly, Phd, there are three steps to dealing with a narcissist.
Educate yourself. Learn about the disorder and the strengths and weaknesses that come with it and how to handle them.
Create boundaries. You must create boundaries. It will likely upset the narcissist in question, but that is okay. It’s not your job to police their emotions.
Speak up for yourself. This is crucial. If you need something, you must be clear and concise.
If you can complete these steps, you may successfully defeat a narcissist.
Hey, I’m Noah and I am a staff writer on The Mycenean. I participate in Executive Council and I am on the autism spectrum which is useful for retaining information about my special interest, politics.