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Mark Goulston, M.D.

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Know Any Narcissists?

Posted: 02/23/09 09:11 PM ET

Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, narcissism is in the fear -- and loathing -- of the offended.

Here are a baker's dozen of ways in which they offend:

1. They interrupt you in the middle of what you're saying and expect you to listen to them.

2. They interrupt you in the middle of when you're thinking about something without asking if it is a good time to talk and expect you to immediately stop whatever you're thinking about and give them your undivided attention.

3. They take offense when you interrupt them.

4. They expect you to change whatever you're thinking, doing and feeling to what they they you should be thinking, doing and feeling...and for you to do it with a smile and gratitude.

5. They scowl and act hostile, when people accidentally bump into them.

6. If they're walking along the side of a road or on a path and people approach them, they make the other person walk around them.

7. They are easier to upset than they are to please.

8. They rarely say, "I'm sorry" and if they do, they do so insincerely or even begrudgingly.

9. They rarely say, "Thank you" because they feel so entitled.

10. They rarely congratulate you because they are unable to root for anyone else.

11. When they demand something you are afraid to say: "No," because of the hostility it triggers.

12. When they complain about something you are afraid to tell them to "Just deal with it" because you're afraid they'll go ballistic or become coldly sullen and shut down.

13. You're chuckling and agreeing with most of this list, but would be scared stiff to show it to them (a.k.a. you walk on eggshells around them most of the time).

If you live with a narcissist, take care of yourself and if you can, cut your losses, because they almost never change.

If you are a narcissist and have read this far, there is hope for you.

 
 
 

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02:41 AM on 02/24/2009
A feller would go bust writing narcissist self-help books. Good Night!!!
01:44 AM on 02/24/2009
I am not quite sure as to the point of your article? As you state at the end, if one is truly a narcissist, they won't even read what you have written because they wouldn't even imagine that they could be a narcissist, nor would they care if they happened to be one. If your true goal is to encourage individuals to leave abusive relationships, I would think a different approach (and a different headline) would be more effective.

Narcissist aren't secretly worried that they might be narcissists, so they wouldn't be searching the Web looking for self-help, self-diagnosis tests. Narcissists usually only seek help when their anti-social behavior puts them in a situation where they are forced to at least attempt to modify how they act, if not how they think.
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Mark Goulston, M.D.
02:28 PM on 02/24/2009
Thank you cruzy for clarifying. I have changed the blog to make more sense.
11:06 PM on 02/23/2009
They don't come to therapy either because everyone else is the problem, not them.
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truthglow
01:15 AM on 02/24/2009
And if they do come, they are impossible to treat!
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wandering girl
grownup
10:50 PM on 02/23/2009
I would show this to my mother, but she wouldn't recognize herself in it.
12:31 AM on 02/24/2009
The important thing is that you recognize this about your mother. Many adult children don't.
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gardengranny
Ever-hopeful for the best; preparing for the worst
09:45 PM on 02/23/2009
The last sentence says it all.