Living with narcissism can be damaging both for the person exhibiting the symptoms and the people living with that person. Narcissism is a set of behaviors in which a person is exceptionally self-absorbed, egotistical, or vain. The roots of these behaviors can be varied, and they can sometimes be damaging for the narcissist himself. A person living with narcissism will need to first identify the problem and accept that it exists; if a person living with a narcissistic person has drawn attention to the problem but the narcissist is resistant, it may be necessary to seek outside professional help.
Learning as much as possible about the condition is the first step toward living with narcissism. Various types of narcissism exist, so a narcissist or a person living with a narcissist will need to identify the specific type of narcissism being exhibited. Internet resources are available for this research, as are books at libraries and bookstores; it may be wise to consult a mental health professional or relationship counselor as well, as these professionals will be able to identify the type of narcissism and make recommendations for living with narcissism.
Unfortunately, no real chances to a narcissist's behavior can be made if that person does not recognize there is a problem. Making such people aware of the problem can be exceptionally difficult, since narcissists often create false realities and place blame for problems on others. Living with narcissism requires that people around the narcissist begin to draw boundaries. It is not enough to simply ignore the behaviors and hope they go away, because they most certainly will not. Friends and family will need to make the tough decision to either seek treatment ideas themselves or convince the narcissist that it is in his or her best interest to seek help.
People surrounding the narcissist cannot allow him or her to dominate the relationship. Narcissists seek out vulnerable people for relationships because they feel the relationships can be controlled and manipulated. Living with narcissism will require a person to recognize the patterns and behaviors that trigger narcissistic actions and find ways to work around them. Of course, this is only avoidance of the real issue; if the narcissist is allowed to exhibit such behaviors, the problem will never cease and the relationship will never be valuable to him or her. In the worst cases, it may be necessary to end relationships with narcissists to avoid domination and abuse.
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anon255455
Post 4 |
It was richard dawkins perhaps? I lived with a narcissist whom I believed was a god, and he only asked my forgiveness when a faith healer told him he had to settle with "a daughter in need of your attention" in order to get well. Here I am, age 40, and I just encountered someone just like my father and, ta-dah! Tried to rescue him. My fellow human beings, the beat goes on. I find it repulsive to give up on human beings who got this way because they were abused and logical to acknowledge that until they realize there is a problem, there is no 'go'. Dramatic displays of 'look at me' constantly. I remember once winning a silly bet and asking my lover to ask me a question about me - as a reward. I'm not sure, but I can tell you my mother looked in the mirror a lot. Unluckily, she had me as a daughter and I pointed it out to her. |
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Mor
Post 3 |
I love the way they came up with the term "narcissim". It originally came from Narcissicus, who was a man obsessed with his own appearance. He looked into a pool of water which reflected his own image and fell in love with himself. He stayed there until he died. Then he became a flower like a daffodil, which still likes to sit on the river bank and "look" into the water. I guess I particularly like that the character in this story is a man, because nowadays women get accused of being self obessessed all the time, but men rarely are. I think it's more of a cultural difference than a gender difference. Men are just as capable of being narcissistic. |
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browncoat
Post 2 |
I've heard that having some narcissim is actually good for you. I think it was originally a Freudian theory, though, so I don't know how respected it is now. But, the theory goes that self interest is healthy, unless it gets to the point where you aren't at all interested in other people. Then it should be considered a disorder. Which makes sense to me. I'm sure there are convoluted reasonings behind it, if you get into his original theory, but I have no objection to people practising self confidence and love. It's just when they get inconsiderate of others that it becomes a problem in my opinion. |
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bythewell
Post 1 |
Narcissism is one of those terms that can get misused quite a lot. I know I've used it as a way of telling someone they like looking in the mirror a little bit too much. But, there is an actual clinical condition called narcissistic personality disorder. This is where someone has very little empathy, and is really excessively concerned with power and vanity. They think it might occur when children are given too much praise when they are younger, or, alternatively when they are emotionally abused. I've never known someone who had this disorder, I've only read about it for my college classes, but it seems like it would be very difficult to live with. I mean, most mental disorders, you can see the person is suffering and it is easier to be sympathetic. In this case, I think the person would just seem insufferable! |
