If you are involved with someone who feels entitled to constant praise and attention and is selfish when it comes to meeting your needs and taking your feelings into consideration, then you are probably dealing with someone who has a narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).
People with narcissistic personality disorder are in love with their inflated, grandiose, an idealized image of themselves because it covers their insecurities and it enables them to run away from facing their true self.
NPD often consists of a pattern of arrogant and self-centered thinking, lack of empathy, and an immense need for praise and admiration from other people. People with NPD are usually selfish, cocky, manipulative, controlling, patronizing, and very demanding. They blame others for their mistakes, and they resist to change.
Here are 12 signs and symptoms of someone with a narcissistic personality disorder that you should be aware of.
1. They Have Fragile Ego
People think that the narcissist is someone who is extremely self-assured and full of themselves because their confidence is very high. However, that is not true. The narcissist’s superiority usually comes from their fragile ego. They are generally unsatisfied with their life and with themselves and that’s why they can’t stand being criticized.
2. They Are Over the Top
A narcissist loves to make everything about themselves. They think that they deserve everyone’s undivided attention since they are the most important person in the world. They will do anything to make others love them because they are obsessed with getting love and appreciation from other people.
3. They Are Easily Flattered
A narcissist adores compliments and being in the center of attention all the time. They love being flattered because it’s the ultimate food for their ego. Because of that, they will believe everything, they will believe every word someone says as long as it is a compliment to them.
4. They Get Jealous and They Are Very Competitive
We all get jealous from time-to-time. However, a narcissist’s jealousy is over the line. The narcissists are very competitive due to their constant need to prove themselves and be the best at everything they do. They need to be superior to others and prove their dominance. That’s why a narcissist can’t celebrate other people’s successes because they can’t stand someone else being the “winner.”
5. They Get Pleasure from Putting Others Down
Narcissists put other people down in order to feel good about themselves. They get their sense of self-worth and validation by downgrading and criticizing others and pointing out their flaws.
6. They Exaggerate Their Achievements
Oftentimes, people who are high-achievers tend to have narcissistic tendencies. And most narcissists do exaggerate their successes and accomplishments because they love to brag, and people applaud them and congratulate them.
7. They Are Not Empathetic
A narcissist doesn’t care about the feelings of others, they only care about themselves and meeting their own needs. Therefore, they will stop at nothing to get what they want. They will use all kinds of tricks and manipulations at their hand and toy with other people’s emotions if they must.
8. They Are Obsessed with Power
It is one thing to wish for accomplishing great things and then work your ass off to succeed in it, but it is another thing to think that you are destined to be better than everyone else. This grandiose assumption is a part of the narcissist’s way of thinking that they deserve only the best things because they are naturally more powerful, more talented, and more special than others.
9. They Hold Grudges
Genuinely confident people are very forgiving because they can understand the fact that not everything is about them. However, a narcissist cannot. They hold grudges because they can’t forget the bruise on their self-esteem when someone offends them. They can never forgive them.
10. They Are Impatient
Whatever they put their mind on, they need to get it right away. They are fast, aggressive, and very impatient. They want immediate response to their wishes and desires because their sense of entitlement makes them feel as everyone should organize their schedules around them.
11. They Like Giving Advice, Even If They Are Not Asked To
Helping someone is one thing but giving advice when you are not being asked to is another. A narcissist does that. They give advice to everyone regardless of they want it or not. Why? Because they think they know everything and that they are better than anyone else.
12. It’s Never Their Fault
Narcissists don’t like to be held responsible for their actions and mistakes. In their mind, they are superheroes, the perfect human beings that never do anything wrong. That’s why they always shift the blame onto other people.
Have you ever dealt with a narcissist? What’s your experience?
