Narcissistic personality disorder isn’t always obvious. However, due to the grandiose nature of the disorder, sometimes the signs can be very blatant.
- Being A Bully: Someone with narcissistic personality disorder needs to bully other people. Bullying isn’t always about pushing someone around physically. Instead, bullying is really about pushing someone around emotionally. Shaming, sarcasm, verbal abuse, embarrassing or humiliating others, pushing on people’s insecurities- all of these are acts of bullying. They help someone with narcissism feel better about themselves, by pushing others down.
- Needing To Win: People with narcissistic personality disorder can be the worst to play games with. In order to continue inflating and building their ego, they have a competitive edge beyond comparison. They don’t love to play and they don’t play to win. They need to win. In an effort to do so, they will cheat, taunt other players, and have outlandish competitive personality traits.
- Lying And Manipulating: If someone with narcissistic personality disorder cannot control other people, there is a chance that other people could find out the narcissist isn’t as powerful as they make themselves out to be. At their core, someone with narcissism is terrified of being “found out”. Riddled with insecurities and a need to elevate themselves in standing over other people, lying and manipulating is a way to stay in control, feed the ego, and make sure nobody finds out the truth about who they are.
- Inflated Ego: One of the key signs of narcissism is acting with an extremely inflated ego. Someone with narcissism has to feel that they are better than others, and that people must be very aware of that. The inflated ego is a way to puff their chests, ruffle their feathers, and convince everyone- including themselves- of how absolutely fabulous they are. This is because at the core, they believe they’re worthless.
- Severe Entitlement: A common accompaniment to an inflated ego in someone with narcissism is severe entitlement. Everyone is prone to getting cranky at a restaurant when a waiter ignores them for too long. For people with narcissistic personality disorder, their entitlement has no boundaries or limitations. They feel entitled to everything they feel entitled to, because they are who they are, which, is a very important person.
- Inability To Receive Criticism: Family members, friends, romantic partners, business partners, and even strangers on the street might be inspired to talk to someone with narcissism about their behaviors. Such an individual will quickly find it is difficult to get a word in. Someone with narcissistic personality disorder is incapable of listening to or receiving criticism. Criticism threatens their inflated sense of self as well as threatens to expose their deeply rooted insecurities about who they are.
Narcissistic personality disorder can become debilitating and destructive. Avalon By The Sea offers a residential treatment program for primary mental health patients in need of residential care for narcissistic personality disorder and any co-occurring disorders like substance abuse. Call us now for a confidential assessment and more information: 888-958-7511.
