Are You Sure You Are Not a Narcissist?
Do you belong to 1% of the population?
In your life, you will most likely come across a variety of people with personality disorders.
According to the experts, approximately 10–13% of people have some kind of personality disorder.
And many times people go undiagnosed.
I’m not saying that after this article you will be allowed to diagnose someone. So please don’t go around calling names.
The aim of this article is to help you notice certain behaviors and run the other way. Or if it is you — to become aware of them.
Grandiose sense of self-importance
Also known as grandiosity. It is more than just arrogance. You are fully convinced that you are special — based on nothing. There are no special gifts or talents that can back that up.
Unrealistic.
On top of that, you think you are better than others, and as such you deserve special treatment. Undeserved, because you did nothing to deserve it.
Moreover, you are able to lie about your achievements. You create an illusion around yourself, to lure people in.
On the other hand, you believe only special people can understand you. So you tend to associate with high-profile or high-status people or institutions.
The best example I have seen in recent Netflix history was a movie about the Fyre festival.
A constant need for appraisal and admiration — narcissistic supply
Not only that you think you are the best. Others have to think that too. And preferably say it out loud.
To understand why is this necessary for a narcissistic person, we need to go a step back.
One word — insecurity.
A narcissistic person might seem self-assured, but that can’t be further from the truth.
The most common relationship they create with others is the one where they are constantly praised and admired for who they are.
If the other person fails to do what is expected — better beware! Hatred, outrage, and aggression appear on the horizon.
Exploitation of others
The relationships with personality disorders are hard and demanding. However, you don’t necessarily need to be in a close interpersonal relationship with them to feel the burn.
Narcissistic people will use others without remorse.
Is your focus fully on your goal? Do you have any consideration towards others? Do you have empathy or understanding for others?
Are you stepping over dead bodies in order to reach your goal?
If all of this sounded too harsh to you, and you can’t find yourself in the above-mentioned traits — congratulations!
However, it is important to say that all of us have a bit of some personality disorder in ourselves. It doesn’t immediately mean that you have a personality disorder. It is better to leave diagnosing to the professionals.
All of the symptoms or signs I learned over time during my extensive education. It is hard to link what your mentors have said. However, if you want to look deeper into signs and symptoms — this Wikipedia article has you covered. I myself used it to systematize my thoughts and knowledge into this article.
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