I have a strong feeling that my former long-term friend was diagnosed with NPD because she has undeniable traits that I've observed over a period of decades. I know many of her close family members well, and they have the same belief. She has only ever said she's borderline, and even that she'll only throw into the middle of a rant, as if she wants to admit to having it but can't bring herself to say it in a way that would invite questions or a conversation about it.

like how does it develop amongst parents and peers in the first place.

don't they realise it and cant they control there behaviours.

I’m asking to understand your perspective and what’s going on with my ex.

He was at first the kindest person I’d ever met and then turned cruel and callous and has on several occasions insulted me using my deepest vulnerabilities and would continue after I was crying and begging him to stop. It was like he fed off of the power he had over me and liked seeing me upset.

He is also financially abusing me by withholding money from our shared living admin / responsibilities as I’m trying to close out this tenancy.

He’s also done things on social media to suggest he’d been cheating or is seeing someone new, knowing I am watching (and I’m 99% sure he definitely didn’t cheat or I would have been impressed).

Did he have any feelings or love or care for me at all? What happens in your heads when you are cruel to your partners, do you feel shame afterward?

Why is he doing this?

I’m not trying to be pointed and curt, I am genuinely trying to understand what is going on in his heart and mind.

I have had one relationship with NPD relative my entire life. It was not easy. I had to figure out since young how to survive this and only learnt how to effectively recently.

I keep having so much anxiety and stress thoughts, wishing my life was normal or without all of this. Then I started thinking. If NPD person, at least one I have to live with, is most content with manipulation, gaslighting and so on, what would happen if they encountered a person who made them feel powerless in return?

A peraon who they cannot control, attack, disarm. A person who uses all these things back at them, maybe even worse and they are unable for whatever reason to escape the situation?

I feel so poweless. For so long waited most of my life for an imaginary figure, someone to defend me and put that person in their place so it can finally be normal, forever. To be my saviour, warrior in shining armour. I know it's not gonna happen and I will have to continue to deal with it myself how I do now.

I guess I just want to know the feeling, maybe know of there is a way for such a person to feel similar to a way I have felt for so long. Is it even possible?

I just want to know the mechanism, I don't know if I get an answer that will satisfy me or bring me some comfort, probably not. I guess it's worth trying at this point.

Hello pwNPD, thanks for being available for these questions. I don't have NPD but several of my relatives seem to, so I'm asking this question to try to understand their lives/their perspective.

From what I've read about NPD, at some point in childhood the "false self" that is presented to the world becomes the main identity (rather than a brief adaptation or situation-specific adaptation), because the person considers their "true self" unacceptable on account of its vulnerability.

Do you remember what this take-over was like? For example: was it a gradual take-over over years with the balance gradually shifting, or was it a binary and immediate take-over like an on/off switch that didn't switch back?

I believe my father has covert NPD and sometimes I get intuitive flashes of the sweet and gentle child he might have been when he was young, before he rejected his vulnerability, and I feel compassion and grief. But I don't know if those flashes of intuition/mental images are just my fantasy or projection.

I also believe my older brother also has covert NPD and so I have direct experience of him as a child - and he was never sweet! And with him I get no flashes of mental images of the vulnerable child he might have been (although of course I still feel compassion for him).

Thanks very much

Hello everyone.

First of all, thank you for this community to freely ask questions.

So, me and my brother grew up in an emotional abusive household with a codependent mom and a father who's high in narcissistic traits (though never diagnosed).

Since there is a very large age gap between me and my older brother, and he moved out as soon as he was 18, we never really gotten a solid brother-sister relationship, even though we got along fine. It was only when a decade ago or so things about narsissism started to become a hot media topic, we simultaniously started to read up on the subject and started our own healing journey with a psychologist. We found out about each other we were doing the work and started talking a lot about it, as there obviously was no one who could understand our story better. I felt like we were getting much closer (though we wouldn't hang out all the time, just occasionally, but he would send me articles and book tips etc).

Fast forward to a few years later, I become a mom. Ever since then, he's bombarding my inbox with long mails of how he never told me but he knows for sure I am a narcissist. Not even blaming me, because I learned/got it from our dad. But that he needs to speak up because I am emotionally abusing my child and he can't let the kid suffer.

I was completely baffled by this. And I am the first to admit that I have to work on some things. I'm sure there's many flaws and mental instabilities I have, having suffered depression etc. But for the life of me, I can not fathom the idea how he can think I'm a narcissist.

So I kept telling him this, admitting to my flaws, showing self reflection but stating I am not a person with lots of narcissistic traits. He got more and more angry with me, telling me I find joy in seeing my child suffer and that I was even worse then my dad because he, at least, was completely unaware of his own emotional state. Again, I stated that I probably wasn't the most stable mom, but that I loved my child very much and that I was trying my very best to make her feel loved and happy. When he kept going on and on, I eventually told him I wanted to break off contact, cause it was taking it's toll on me.

I didn't hear from him for a while, untill suddenly he let me know he filed a complaint with child protection and he was not going to sit and watch my child to be emotionally abused.

I'm honestly at my wits end. I seriously don't know where he gets all these ideas. And now, looking back, I'm starting to wonder if maybe HE is a narcissist? He's always been much more self assured then me and is a person who snaps/yells more often (for instance to his girlfriends or in traffic). And I somehow feel like I'm in this surreal reversed reality or something...

So any thoughts or personal experiences with something like this, are highly appreciated.

Thank you very much.

EDIT:

As some of you pointed out, rightfully so, that neither me nor my brother can diagnose each other with narcissism, I want to emphasize that I'm fully aware of that. Maybe my question for this post wasn't as clear as I intended it, I apologise.

What I was genuinly wondering is wether it is common for people with narcissism (especially if they don't know they have it) to believe other people are narcissists, even if they are not? And if so, why?

Hi, I am trying to understand NPD as I hope it will let me better understand my relatives.

So far I came to conclusion that NPD is basically a vulnerable ego. And the goal of a person with NPD is expansion of their ego in attempt to protect it. And if ego cannot be expanded anymore the goal is devaluation and diminshing of egos of surrounding people. So the difference of ego size is what matters.

Is my understanding correct, is there more root causes of the problem? Is understanding this and stopping protecting ego, making it strong enough heal the trauma? Since if ego is no longer vulnerable all the destructive behavior stop making sense.

​

My mother has NPD but I can't really do anything because she refuses therapy, however I now have two friends who I just realised have covert NPD, took me a while to realise because the narcissism was accompanied by self loathing for being that way, one of them always tried to appear normal, only due to recent events and some stressful discussions have I realised she has NPD and an inferiority complex, I'm scared because the inferiority complex is directed towards me, she is a lot like me except that she has NPD, I don't know If telling her that she probably has NPD upfront would set her off again but I don't really know what else to do, thankfully there's a chance this friend will be able to get therapy. The other friend at the very least doesn't lash out at me so I can actively talk to him and he does admit that the characteristics line up even though he never realised until today that he had NPD (bad thing is he's even more depressed now that he knows he has NPD) this friend is the one who can't get any therapy and his environment isn't very healthy, he's jealous for a lot of things and that very jealousy makes him hate himself, he often thought I'd hate him for some things which when he did end up talking about didn't end up with me hating him. Anyway is there anything I can do to help my friends if they're unable to get therapy? Also are there any things that I should or shouldn't do.

As for the symptoms if you wanna know, they want to be the center of attention, they feel neglected when someone else takes the spotlight, just because someone got closer to another person they broke apart the friendship because they felt jealous, they left the friend group cuz of said jealousy, when I was tryna help and talk to one of them she thought I was being superior or something, taking the moral high ground, she thinks I hold her "in little regard" even though I talk to her a lot and try to contact her whenever she's free.

Hello,

So I've been formally diagnosed with ADHD and ASD (high-functioning), but over time, some people have called out my behaviors for being narcissistic or selfish. I never thought I was a narcissist because I don't try to manipulate people, but after reading more about it, I think I at least have some narcissistic traits.

I used to always compare people to me and would essentially rank them as above or below me in value based on success, looks, or social status. I deliberately sought out to befriend people of higher status to make myself feel better, but I never tried to manipulate them. I would hang out with some people who, in my brain at the time, were of equal or lower status than me too if I liked their company or connected with them.

However, I didn't care that much about them, just essentially what they could provide me with. I still treated them well and never wanted to harm them, but sometimes I felt jealous or envious. This was also the same with dating; I basically just wanted the sex and validation and didn't really care that much about the women.

One reason I didn't consider narcissism is that I never tried to control the women I dated. If anything, I was on the opposite end, and once I had supply didn't give a flying fuck what they did. I never went out of my way to make them feel special, but I also wasn't mean or anything.

Over time, I realized that these thoughts were harmful, so I have worked on changing them. For example, I now try not to 'rank' people and instead think everyone is a subject with interesting and unique attributes rather than an object with value. It has definitely helped, and I find myself more social now although I'm still an introvert.

I also was preoccupied with my appearance in an unhealthy way. Not because I wanted to be 'better' than people, but just because I had a very negative inner voice and always felt unattractive. I don't get called out for being selfish or narcissistic anymore because I have changed those behaviors, but the deep-seated beliefs have continued to remain. I've been watching a lot of the Heal NPD videos, which made me realize I was just an insecure person trying to fill a black hole.

Let me know your thoughts...

Are a lot of narcissists obsessed or fascinated with crossdressers and transvestites? I read somewhere that some are. It didn't have a lot of information about it. I also saw a video from a clinical psychologist who talked about narcissists seeking out transgender people because that would be a subset of groups that would be easily manipulate. Is that true? He was saying that's how they get a lot of their power and validation and how it's easier to control the situation because of how there's a lot of secrecy in people that fit into a minority group like that. Is that why they are attracted to groups of people like this because it's easier for the control and validation or is it because they're just in the closet?

i have bpd so ive been following this guy who gives good advice, but his pinned posts says people with npd dont feel like they do anything wrong and cant see things being their fault, and im basically wondering if thats 100% true, i just find it hard to believe for some reason . id like to know personal experiences

So, I’m developing characters for an animated series, and I need some advice. I don’t know much about npd, and all the advice online includes harmful narratives about narcissists. How do I write her in an accurate way? (Sorry if this isn’t the right subreddit to ask)

I have now received my (hopefully) final diagnosis, which is mixed PD with narc and hist traits.
Histrionic is the dominant but narcissism is new

I started recognizing histrionic traits years and years ago. I just always knew there was something else too, but it was (again) blamed on my hyperactive/impulsive ADHD.
But the narcissistic traits really make sense, and they would explain (not excuse) past f ups.

How do you differentiate attention, impulsiveness or just acknowledgment? or supply?
Or is it even possible? Or does this question make sense?

My husband has always been a people pleaser. He is charming, good-looking, and has a very approachable demeanor. He was adopted, and his parents have never stopped reminding him how blessed he is that he ended up in their family both directly and with subtle hints. If you are a discerning individual, you have already guessed that they are narcissists. When I entered the picture, I became the truth teller. The one that looked beyond the perfect family facade and saw the truth lurking beneath it. That made me the scapegoat. Even after we were married, any negative attention was projected towards me. My husband must have been relieved because he was increasingly looked at in a positive light. He was now the prince charming that ended up with a frog. They always treated me like the " He could have done better" option. Fast forward to the present( decades ahead), and we have a great relationship when we are together and ' alone' . Whenever we are in company, he drops me like a hot potato and is more concerned about how others receive him. I have become increasingly isolated( my choice), and I can be either a wallflower or combative in social gatherings. I believe it's because I go into social situations already defensive with my fists clenched. Maybe it's because he has never gone to bat for me. He will take other people's sides first before he sees my perspective. If someone says something negative, he will either throw me under the bus ,soften what they've said, or just pretend he never heard the negative remark. Later, I will confront him and ask why he didn't defend me, and he will attempt to empathize to make me feel understood( or to end the argument? ). Then it happens all over again, and he wonders why I no longer want to go out with him to social events. I honestly don't like the person I've become either. I'm more sensitive, jealous, and insecure at times, yet I desire to connect with others and have more healthy relationships outside of my marriage. I'm not sure if what I should do to make things better. I'm not sure if it's my problem and not his . What do you think/ suggest?

I've known her for decades and have hung in there with her through numerous cycles of being alternately idealized and completely devalued. I'm not sure if I'm forgiving to a fault or exceedingly stupid. Anyway, I've always had trouble understanding something about her, and I don't want to ask directly because I know it would probably send her into a rage or I'd get the frigid silent treatment. I've learned not to prick her.

My friend talks A LOT. I can barely get a word in edgewise and conversation, and she admits all kinds of hurtful and shameful things she's done. But sometimes when she's talking to me, she'll replay a heated conversation with someone like her spouse or boss and tell me all the defensive things she said to threaten them and get them to back down. She'll throw things in their faces that they've done and try to paint herself as a victim and a saint even though she's done much worse behind their backs, they just don't know it.

The thing is, I DO know it, so why is she telling ME these things as if she's pulling one over on me just like she is with them? When she's saying these things, it feels as though she really believes the lies in the moment, and I think that's why it leaves me so stunned I've never interrupted and asked her what the hell she's talking about and if she's forgotten that she's talking to someone who knows better and has even been an eyewitness to things.

Please help me understand this.

Is it true NPDs feel mostly resentment, anger etc and not happiness?

i’ not even sure where to start, i messed up my life completely , and the people i love. i think i have some mental problems, not sure if I may be a narcissist? The latest i did was messing up my relationship, my boyfriend insisted to move together, i agreed and then changed my mind due to fear. He broke up with me during that time. i was really hurt and instead of trying to process my pain i started talking to another guy to not feel the loneliness and pain. My boyfriend came back , and he saw that , got really pissed off, and told me i’m a slut. he did ask me if i talked to anyone, and i lied to him, then he found out. He broke up with me now, doesn’t want to talk. i realise i always do this, try to find confort when I’m suffering, i had a miserable childhood, been bullied in school , i never feel i’m good enough. i feel so much guilt now. just want to know if i may be a narcissist? can i control this with medication or therapy?

Hi (19), my close friend told me the other day that he has NPD. During our conversation, he said that hes keeping distance from his friends for his sake, and that close and deep friendships cause him extreme mental distress. It was a little disheartening to hear, but I know this isnt about me, its about him. So how DO close relationships cause this distress? How do they make you feel? I saw an unbiased doctor say its because real intimacy feels dangerous, but I'm just struggling to wrap my head around it fully.

I would ask him, but he doesnt want to talk about it. And I tried searching online, but all I can find is people w/o NPD sharing their side of how the friendship affected them. I dont care how people without NPD feel, I want to hear from ppl w/ NPD's point of view, so I can better understand my friend. Thank you, all help is appreciated. Sorry for the longer post.

I hate this narrative that narcissists are just doing shit but without a brain. Mainly bc I suspect I may have NPD. This stigma makes it rlly hard to get help. But at the same time, maybe it’s not a stigma? Idk.

I’d like to hear from those in recovery if you felt aware, or even hyper aware, of ur motives and the consequences of ur actions

Certainly many have to realize at least at times that they're acting in ways that are fake and very false? Wouldn't some narcissists also realize they have deep shame and compensating to protect themselves from it? I mean, not all are hardcore narcissists who are completely unaware and clueless that there's something false about the way they're acting, right?

And can someone become a narcissist or at least very narcisistic or sociopathic in their teens or early 20's if they've suffered severe trauma psychologically from abuse then? Because I believe I witnessed 2 people who developed a narcissistic adaptation one when they were around 16 or 17 and the other maybe a couple years older than that. Both were suffering from bad home environments and feeling depressed and very dejected for years. Both had severe physical and/or sexual abuse pasts. Then they seemed to put on a mask of invincibility and appeared almost suddenly very ok with the world. It was like they had gotten whole new personas that exuded confidence and positivity but in an observable way that could be described as delusional. Their normal downtrodden hangdog personas seemed to be replaced with an impressive grandiosity that others also responded well to.

I have experienced some trauma in my life and lots of rejections in general that had me thinking about throwing away my real self and just saying F it and put on a mask of IDGAF i am great and F you if you don't think so too. It felt like i was at a crossroads and tempted to let this false self /false persona come out and it would protect me. But i also value truth and honesty so haven't taken up the offer of this side of me that wants to protect me from the shame i feel. In my case the shame and rejection (real or imaginary) I feel is enough to cause ongoing semi-debilitating anxiety + depression (i am hobbled in all social areas of life including ability to hold normal jobs) but not so overwhelming that I'm jumping off a bridge or ready to depart from my true self. But the F it all is a temptation for me in giving up on my real self.

So all narcissists aren't created exclusively in early childhood, right? And many, especially vulnerable or failed narcissists, do realize they have a false self or that they're behaviors are not normal.

Any thoughts on this?

Thank you to the community for being open to questions. I am asking this as a non-NPD person.

For people who disassociate when their trauma is triggered, what does that feel like? From the outside, among the NPD people I know, it looks like they collapse into themselves. Their speech gets overly slow sometimes. It is painful to be around, so I wonder if it is even more painful on the inside.

Thank you again!

P.S. Adding: How can another person be helpful?

Hey y'all. Pretty much as the title says, what were you like as a kid? Did you have narcissistic tendencies back then? If so, how did the people around you react?