Truly Unpacking Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in Covert Narcissists
Here’s what everyone gets wrong
Most everyone has heard Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde referenced when describing narcissists.
Most everyone gets it wrong.
Here’s what society thinks, and many people teach
The narcissist is nice out in public and looks like a stellar human being, a great spouse, a trusted friend, an outstanding boss or employee. Then at home, their mask comes off and they are another person. They are mean. This meanness occurs behind closed doors.
While there may be some truth to that scenario in some instances, this severely downplays what the victim is experiencing.
The real meaning of Jekyll and Hyde
The covert narcissist experienced so much deep-seated shame that they created a persona, an idealized self, typically in early childhood. They’ve created a made-up version of reality to go with the persona — kind of like writing a screenplay. The covert narcissist gets to play both hero and victim and everyone else in their life is assigned a supporting role.
They are in a state of constant conflict — a war between their true self and their false self.
