Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Understand What The Disorder Is & How Can You Identify People Suffering From It

Have you ever known someone or been with someone who literally talks about nothing but themselves? who think they are superior or that their lives are much better than others around them. While they may appear to be overly focused on themselves, they may be suffering from narcissistic personality disorder.

What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

A narcissistic personality disorder is basically a personality disorder where people have an inflated sense of self-worth. These people not only give themselves a lot of importance and constantly talk about them, but they also want constant attention and admiration from people around them.

People with this disorder are generally called narcissists. While they may have high self-worth, they may face a lot of problems in their life when it comes to relationships, work, and general life. People with this kind of disorder often get disappointed and unhappy when they are not treated the way they want. More than that, people around them choose to keep their distance from them, leaving them alone a lot of times.

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What are the symptoms to know about a narcissistic person?

People who have this disorder may never figure out that they have this problem because admitting that they have one will definitely go against their disorder. However, people close to them can find out about this disorder by looking out for these signs:

There is a lot of entitlement

Sure, we all tend to come across people who think they are entitled. While many can feel that they are superior or better than others, people with this disorder can constantly have that feeling, making others feel way too uncomfortable. They basically have to be the best and be right at all times.

They just can not take any criticism

A person who thinks they are superior to the rest obviously cannot take any criticism (even though it is healthy). Anyone who tells them they are doing something wrong instantly gets added to their hate list, even if they don't show it.

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They want things to go according to them

These people continuously look down upon people around them and don't trust others to do anything perfectly. So, they need to be in control and make things go according to their wishes. This is not only related to planning an event but also to how people around them should be behaving. They have a perceived notion as to how someone should act around them, and if that does not happen, they get upset.

They don't know what boundaries are

People with this disorder are so into themselves that they don't look around to see if they are making others uncomfortable. They believe that their company is something that everyone enjoys and try to leech on others. For example, if two of their friends are making plans to go out, they automatically assume that they are invited. When politely told that it doesn't involve them, they actually get very offended.

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They generally lack responsibility

Since narcissists want to do everything on their own, they would never agree with the fact that they can also make mistakes. So, when they do something or if something does not go according to the way they want things to go, they very easily throw someone else under the bus. They refuse to accept responsibility for their actions and will never admit that they made a mistake in order to prove that they are always correct.

They don't have empathy for others

These people are generally self-involved, so understanding a person's feelings and point of view gets difficult. Most of the time, they believe that others share their feelings. In this case, they are not able to form any sort of close relationships and end up driving people away.

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But how do you know you are in a relationship?

For a lot of people, it takes a long time to realise they are with a narcissistic person; it can take months or even years. This is what you need to know:

They are charming and initially put you on a pedestal

People who have this disorder believe that they deserve to have someone special just like them. So, in the initial stages of a relationship, these people put their partner on a pedestal. They charm them by being funny and charismatic. Basically, they lovebomb them. However, people who get so much attention, in the beginning, should be wary of this.

This is what a Reddit user had to say:

They manipulate and gaslight you

After dating for a while, you will realise how they have been manipulating you and emotionally abusing you. They falsely accuse you of things and turn things around in such a way that you will believe that you are wrong. They will do it to the point that you will doubt yourself more and more. You will be extremely self-conscious about yourself and your decisions, and you will always believe you are wrong.

This is what a Reddit user had to say:

When you finally want to get done with them, they will lash out

Of course, people with this disorder think they are the freaking best. As a result, when they hear rejection or that someone does not like them the way they are, they become their true selves and lash out.They will make it their goal to hurt you emotionally, mentally, and sometimes even physically, and make sure you suffer. They can't handle a bruise to their ego and could really become insufferable.

It is good to acknowledge things beforehand because people with this disorder could also get you into an abusive relationship, putting you in danger.

How can one treat narcissistic personality disorder?

The best way to do so is by going through talk therapy. Understanding one's own nature and engaging in positive interactions with those around you can greatly assist you in recognising those around you.This will also help them learn patience gradually and make them handle criticism well. Not just that, this will eventually help them cope with any self-esteem issues and set realistic goals for themselves.

One can also go through lifestyle changes that can greatly help in changing perspectives. They can start by not using substances that trigger their emotions, exercising, and trying some team-building activities to learn more about people around them.

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Even though this may take time to change the person's personality, it is important to stick around to see positive results.