Many scholars consider pathological narcissism to be a form of depressive illness. This is the position of the authoritative magazine “Psychology Today”. The life of the typical narcissist is, indeed, punctuated with recurrent bouts of dysphoria (ubiquitous sadness and hopelessness), anhedonia (loss of the ability to feel pleasure), and clinical forms of depression (cyclothymic, dysthymic, or other). This picture is…
Tag: Narcissistic
Pathological Narcissism Psychosis And Delusions
One of the most important symptoms of pathological narcissism (the Narcissistic Personality Disorder) is grandiosity. Grandiose fantasies (megalomaniac delusions of grandeur) permeate every aspect of the narcissist’s personality. They are the reason that the narcissist feels entitled to special treatment which is typically incommensurate with his real accomplishments. The Grandiosity Gap is the abyss between the narcissist’s self-image (as reified…
The Three Forms Of Closure
For her traumatic wounds to heal, the victim of abuse requires closure – one final interaction with her tormentor in which he, hopefully, acknowledges his misbehaviour and even tenders an apology. Fat chance. Few abusers – especially if they are narcissistic – are amenable to such weakling pleasantries. More often, the abused are left to wallow in a poisonous stew…
Reconditioning The Narcissist
Question: You seem to be very sceptical that someone with a Narcissistic Personality Disorder can be treated successfully. Answer: The Narcissistic Personality Disorder has been recognised as a distinct mental health diagnosis a little more than two decades ago. There are few who can honestly claim expertise or even in-depth understanding of this complex condition. No one knows whether therapy…
Cluster B Personality Disorders
The DSM-IV-TR (2000) defines a personality disorder as: “An enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations the individuals culture (and is manifested in two or more of his or her areas of mental life:) cognition, affectivity, interpersonal functioning, or impulse control.” Such a pattern is rigid, long-term (stable), and recurrent. It manifests itself in…
Back To La La Land
Relationships with narcissists peter out slowly and tortuously. Narcissists do not provide closure. They stalk. They cajole, beg, promise, persuade, and, ultimately, succeed in doing the impossible yet again: sweep you off your feet, though you know better than to succumb to their spurious and superficial charms. So, you go back to your “relationship” and hope for a better ending.…
The Spouse Mate Or Partner Of The Narcissist
Question: What kind of a spouse/mate/partner is likely to be attracted to a narcissist? Answer: The Victims On the face of it, there is no (emotional) partner or mate, who typically “binds” with a narcissist. They come in all shapes and sizes. The initial phases of attraction, infatuation and falling in love are pretty normal. The narcissist puts on his…
Narcissism Is Your Child In A Path To Self Destruction
Do you look in the mirror to admire yourself more often that normal people would? Do you believe that you’re more important person than everybody else? Do people say that you’re self-centered and you believe that it’s okay to be like that? Once there was a boy named Narcissus In Greek mythology, there was a boy named Narcissus. He was…
Narcissistic Personality Disorder Prevalence And Comorbidity
What is the Difference between Healthy Narcissism and the Pathological Kind? In my book “Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited”, I define pathological narcissism as: “(A) life-long pattern of traits and behaviors which signify infatuation and obsession with one’s self to the exclusion of all others and the egotistic and ruthless pursuit of one’s gratification, dominance and ambition.” Luckily for…
What Is Narcissistic Personality Disorder And How To Deal With It Now
Narcissistic personality disorder is a personality disorder that is shown by having a grandiose state of mind in young adults. The number of people with this disorder is highly disputed with some theories stating that it can be as high as one percent of the population. However, most experts agree that this is not the case and the actual statistics…