What Does a Narcissist Really Mean?

He stood motionless, staring at himself in astonishment…

Unknowingly, he desired himself, while he loved, he loved himself, while he wanted, he wanted himself, and it was himself who ignited the fire that burned inside him.”

Latin poet Ovid explained what narcissistic personality disorder is to us centuries ago.

The state of “self-admiration”, which extends from Greek Mythology to the present day, actually stems from our inner worthlessness and traumas.

Let’s see what’s hidden deep inside.

You can read what narcissistic personality disorder is and what a narcissist actually means below.

Let’s get started!

What Does the Word Narcissist Mean and What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

Almost all of us know the story of Narcissus, one of the heroes of Greek mythology. Our hero will only be able to live if he does not see his own face. One day, while drinking from a puddle, he sees his own face, is surprised, watches and falls in love. Unable to get out of this state, the Narcissist becomes numb, closes his eyes to the world, and roots and blossoms wherever he is.

What does narcissist mean?

Narcissistic personality disorder is a person’s excessive self-interest and admiration for himself that causes him to ignore the needs of those around him.

While anyone can exhibit such behavior from time to time, true narcissists generally do not care about others or their feelings.

They also do not understand the impact of their behavior on other people. This is why this condition is a personality disorder .

People who show symptoms can be very attractive and charismatic. They do not immediately show negative behavior, especially in relationships. They generally like to surround themselves with people who feed their ego. They establish relationships, even if superficial, to reinforce their ideas about themselves.

What are the symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

Every person’s life dynamics is different. For this reason, it would not be correct to make a diagnosis based on a single attitude. In order to define what a narcissist is in the most appropriate way, it is necessary to look at the symptoms, causes and types of narcissistic personality disorder.

First, let’s examine what the symptoms are. Although the variety and severity of symptoms vary from person to person, common narcissistic personality disorder symptoms include:

• Having an unreasonably high sense of self-importance; a constant and excessive admiration for oneself
• Feeling deserving of privileges and special treatment
• Expecting to be recognized as outstanding even without achievements
• Making achievements and talents appear greater than they actually are
• Preoccupation with fantasies about success, power, beauty, or the perfect partner
• Believing that they are superior to others and can only spend time with or be understood by special people who are equal
• Being critical and condescending towards people they consider unimportant
• Expecting special favors and hoping other people will do what they want without questioning
• Taking advantage of other people to get what they want
• Inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
• Being jealous of others and believing that others are jealous of them
• to behave arrogantly, to boast too much
• Insisting on having the best of everything, for example the best car or office

What Does a Narcissist Mean and What Drives Them?

People with narcissistic personality disorder actually have a hard time handling anything they see as criticism. They can become extremely angry and tense, especially when they experience the following situations:

• Becomes impatient or angry when they do not receive special recognition or treatment
• They have great trouble interacting with others and easily feel unimportant
• They react with anger or contempt and try to belittle other people to make themselves seem superior
• They have difficulty managing their emotions and behavior
• They have great problems coping with stress and adapting to change.
• They withdraw or avoid situations in which they might fail
• They feel depressed and pessimistic because they fall short of perfection
• They experience latent insecurity, shame, humiliation, and fear of being exposed as failure

What are the causes of Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

Actually, it is not exactly known what causes it. The cause may be due to several different factors, possibly intertwined.

Narcissistic personality disorder may be linked to:

• Environment

Parent-child relationships that include too much admiration or too much criticism that does not match the child’s actual experiences and accomplishments.

• Genetic

The transmission of hereditary traits, such as certain personality traits, through generations

• neurobiology

Lack of overlap between the brain and behavior and thinking

What are the complications?

Noted complications of narcissistic personality disorder and other conditions that may occur with it include:

• relationship difficulties
• Problems at work or school
• Depression and anxiety
• Other personality disorders
• Eating disorder called anorexia
• physical health problems
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• Suicidal thoughts or behavior

Types of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

There are two different types of narcissistic personality disorder that self-admiration behavior may fall under. The two types may have characteristics in common, but they arise from different childhood experiences. The two types also show people, directly or indirectly, different ways to behave in relationships.

• The Glorious Ones

People with this behavior are most likely those who were treated as superior or better than others during childhood. These expectations may follow them as they become adults. They tend to be boastful and elitist.

Grandiose narcissists are people who are dominant and exaggerate their own importance. They are very confident and not sensitive about anything.

• Those who are sensitive

This behavior is often the result of neglect or abuse in childhood. People with this behavior are much more sensitive. Narcissistic behavior helps protect them against feelings of inadequacy. Although they may alternate between feeling inferior and superior to others, they feel resentful or anxious when others do not treat them as if they were special.

• Communal ones

Communals tend to see themselves as altruists and claim to care deeply about justice. They present themselves to others as supportive and selfless. However, their behavior is motivated by a desire for social power and a sense of superiority or authority. Therefore, their actions do not always align with their beliefs.

• Antagonists

Unlike communalists, uncompromising narcissists take a highly competitive approach to social interactions. They often exhibit zero-sum thinking, believing that every situation has a “loser” and a “winner.” This worldview leads them to be aggressive and hostile. They may be quick to put others down and slow or reluctant to forgive.

• The Bad-Natured Ones

The malignant one may be a more destructive form of narcissistic personality disorder. In addition to the typical signs of narcissism, a malignant person may be aggressive, paranoid, or sadistic—taking pleasure in other people’s pain. They tend to exhibit antisocial behavior with disregard for the rights or safety of others.

How is it diagnosed?

What does narcissist mean? Although it seems possible to make a diagnosis based on the symptoms we mentioned, the definition of this personality disorder must be made by psychologists and psychiatrists.

If you observe the above mentioned situations in yourself or someone close to you, you should definitely consult a specialist.

How do you know if you are a narcissist? How do experts diagnose?

We know that this is very difficult for all of us, but can you watch yourself, even for a moment, as if you were an outside eye, away from all the mind games?

Can you listen to your own story in its most transparent form?

• I want to explain it myself, without letting anyone finish their sentence.
• No matter what, I can turn the subject to myself
• I don’t care much about what people around me say.
• I don’t like rules and social norms

I couldn’t diagnose myself, I don’t know if it’s really like this? What do experts say about this?

They examine the attitudes of the client whose story is taken during the interviews. It is checked whether it exhibits the mentioned features or not. It is observed how and to what severity the symptoms are experienced. Then, treatment begins with individual treatment methods specific to the client.

What are the treatment methods?

When asked what a narcissist is, we should not think of it as an incurable personality disorder. Just as a person is taught to love himself, he can also be taught what its limits are. The most appropriate method for this is speech therapy, also called psychotherapy. If you have other mental health conditions, such as depression, medications may be included in your treatment.

Psychotherapy

The treatment of this personality disorder is centered on psychotherapy. Psychotherapy can help you with:

• It aims to teach you how to relate better to others so that your relationships become closer, more enjoyable and more rewarding.
• It helps you understand the reasons for your emotions and what drives you to compete, distrust others, and dislike others and possibly yourself
• The focus is on helping you accept responsibility and learn to take responsibility
• Makes it easier for you to accept and maintain real personal relationships
• You recognize and accept your true talents, skills, and potential, so you can tolerate criticism or failures
• Supports to increase your ability to understand and manage your emotions
• Helps you understand and learn how to handle self-esteem issues
• Teaches you to set and accept goals that you can achieve, rather than asking for unrealistic goals

Therapy can provide effective short-term results to help you manage times of stress or crisis. Often, it can be helpful to include family members or friends in therapy.

Treatment with Lifestyle and Home Remedies

You may be more distant about treatment or think it is unnecessary. The nature of this personality disorder may make you feel like therapy is not worth your time and attention, and you may want to quit.

However, it is important to:

• Keeping your mind open to new ideas. Focusing on the rewards of treatment
• Follow the treatment plan regularly. Attend scheduled therapy sessions and take prescribed medications. Remember, this can be a difficult job and you may experience occasional setbacks. At the end of the day, you will be the winner.
• You should seek treatment for alcohol or drug abuse or other mental health problems. Addiction can lead to a cycle of depression, anxiety and stress, emotional pain, and unhealthy behavior.
• You should focus on your goals. Try to stay motivated by keeping your goals in mind and reminding yourself that you can work to repair damaged relationships and become more satisfied with your life.

How Do I Prepare Myself for the Treatment Process?

What can you do?

If you want to start treatment for this condition and don’t know how to start, you can make a list of the following before your appointment:

• To help you identify what types of events make you angry or upset, you can write down any symptoms you have and how long you’ve had them.
• You can be sure to note important personal information, including traumatic events in your past and current significant stressors.
• You can add your medical information, including any other physical or mental health conditions you have
• Make a note of any medications, vitamins, herbs or other supplements you are taking and their dosages, and let your specialist know before your appointment.
• In order to get the most out of your appointment, you can list any questions you need to ask your mental health consultant or are curious about.

What Should We Expect from an Expert Psychologist or Psychiatrist?

Some basic questions to ask your advisor include:

• What do you think could be causing my symptoms?
• What are the goals of treatment?
• Which treatments are most likely to be effective for me?
• In what ways do you think my quality of life can be improved with treatment?
• How often and for how long will I need therapy sessions?
• Would family or group therapy help in my case?
• Are there medications that can help my symptoms?
• I have other health problems. How can I best manage these together?

Is It Possible to Have a Relationship with Someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

It is certainly possible to have a relationship with a narcissist, but it will be emotionally and psychologically draining. They can exhaust their partner’s life and soul by using them as an emotional – and sometimes literal – punching bag.

Let’s see what problems you may encounter.

• You may have difficulty understanding whether he truly loves you or not.

These people first attract you by bombarding you with love. Only when they are sure that their supply will continue do their masks begin to slip and they reveal their true selves. But they interrupt the insults and harassment with intermittent love, which is what the victim resists.

But the victim chooses to stay, even though she knows the truth about them living with an abuser who is in love with her. That’s why they often ask professionals how they can manage their relationships. This is a really difficult question to answer. Some experts even say that such a relationship is not at a point where it can be saved.

• You sacrifice so much

Ultimately, in order to live a half-decent life with a self-admirer, you have to sacrifice a lot of who you are and what you stand for. You also have to accept that you will always be lied to. Besides, they are very good at rewriting reality and making you admit that you did something you didn’t do. In order for them to be happy, you need to accept their version of events as the truth. Otherwise, we become subject to their narcissistic personality disorder rage.

• you can hunt

When asked what a narcissist means, the person that comes to mind is usually someone with an accusatory attitude.

If you’re in a relationship with someone like this, you’ll probably be on the receiving end of the blame. If you dare to react to any problem, you will have to endure their belittling you at every opportunity and saying things like “you are crazy” or “you are too sensitive”. Essentially, they make you feel bad about every emotion you have.

How Can I Protect Myself From It?

We learn what narcissist means, step by step. So, do we know how we can protect ourselves from people with narcissistic personality disorder?

• Try to ignore

Like dealing with a bully, if you ignore harshness, it doesn’t satisfy them and they will find someone else to choose.

• Don’t take the bait and try to fight them

Turn the other cheek and don’t justify or defend your actions to them

• Try to understand what their criticisms are without making them personal.

This isn’t about you. It’s about their disorder. Personalize what is said to you

• Set clear boundaries and use clear communication when you communicate

Say what you mean directly

• If you must decide to stay away, you must do so clearly and boldly.
• You must believe your own intuition and feelings

Our bodies tell us that something is wrong and people are treating us badly, you should definitely listen to that voice

• Remember, you can protect yourself and you really can

Don’t wait for others to save you. Standing up to them and standing your ground gives you strength.

• Remember that we all deserve to be treated with kindness and compassion

Working to bring more kindness into the world for others is a worthy goal. Be an example for your children, friends and family

Empathy is the antithesis of narcissism. What can you do today to bring love into your world and eliminate the influence of narcissistic personality disorder? What is empathy , let’s take a look?