A narcissist can be defined as a person who considers himself/herself as more worthy than the others. The irony is that narcissism was initiallybelieved to be the result of very low self-esteem and a lot of insecurities. The psychiatrists claim that people who suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) thrive by demeaning others for their own enjoyment. They don’t actually love themselves but they often come out as arrogant and obnoxious in publicfor the purpose ofhiding their insecure feelings.
What is Narcissistic abuse?
Abuse is one of the coping mechanisms of majority of the narcissists, hence why it’s termed as narcissistic abuse. While abuse can be in the form of mental, physical, spiritual and financial forms, thiskind of abuseis invisible and hard to identify until it’s too late and the psychological damage is already done.Narcissistic abuse is usually disguised as care and love when it’s anything but. It is more often seen in relationships where the bully suffers with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)and the victim possibly suffers with Antisocial personality disorder (APD). The victim is repeatedly put down and manipulated by the bully, making them feel that they’re absolutely worthless. If you are constantly disregarded by your lover, family member or friend then the following signs will help you determine if your relationship is abusive or not.
Warning signs of a narcissistic abusive relationship:
- You drown in your insecurities.
- You often feel ignored.
- Everything depresses you.
- You’re often belittled and debased.
- Your privacy is frequently invaded.
- Your success is never acknowledged.
- The relationship seems one sided.
- You distance yourself from people that actually matter.
- You’re afraid in their presence.
- You’re forced to completely depend on them.
- Nothing that you do is good enough for them.
- You’re blamed for everything that goes wrong.
- You constantly feel like you’re being controlled.
- You’re convinced that you’re worthless
Behavior of a narcissistic person
- They show extreme affection
In the initial stages of a relationship they shower you with excess love and affection hence successfully blinding you with an illusion of a healthy relationship.
- Feeling of superiority
One easily identifiable trait is that narcissists believe that they are better than everyone and feel the need to let everyone know this by acting extremely arrogant and cocky. They endlessly exaggerate about themselves over and like people who compliment them while blatantly disliking those who criticize them.
- They lie repeatedly
Narcissists are pathological liars; they will come up with drastic lies to get things their way. They are the best at manipulating and brain washing others with the stories they fabricate.
- They lack empathy
Narcissistic people don’t care about anyone besides themselves. They can never be considerate enough to understand others.
If you or someone you know is a victim of this abuse then you need to realize the emotional impact it has on the victim. It is important to acknowledge yourself and remove the toxicity and negativity out of your system. You’re are worthy of everything and don’t let anyone say you otherwise.