Why Narcissism is a Serious Mental Illness (Clip Interview November 2024)
Pathological narcissism is not a mere obnoxious personality style. It is a harsh mental illness bordering on psychosis.
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When a person's sense of worth depends too heavily on the reflections of others, admiration becomes a necessity rather than a gift. The challenge is not the desire to be seen, but the loss of an inner center from which one's value can be felt independently of applause. True freedom begins when recognition is appreciated, but no longer required.
The mainstream news media appears to exhibit patterns indicative of unhealthy or malignant narcissism. It is unclear how such behaviour is perpetuated by those in leadership positions. Could the group be characterised as narcissistic?
The narcissist is a broken mirror..
The real problem with narcissists is that due to the moral decay of our society they’re allowed to exploit people and situations and often achieve levels of MATERIAL SUCCESS (status, power, money) that confound everything, leading people to equate material success with healthy personality
So someone with NPD has a mangled personality structure? Is that what you mean by serious mental illness? (internal representation of the outside world that is delusional, closed off, rigid, persecutory, and so on)
Your description of the war between external reality and the narcissist's introjects does sound a crazy state to be in.
Would you say that one of the indicators of sound mental health is the ability to perceive the outside world more or less as it is? Or at least to be constantly updating your internal representations of things and people to match the outside world more faithfully?
Where is the self?
Stage 4 cancer of the mind:
That is so accurate, I have unfortunately a very big group of narcissists around me here decades doing bad things daily. It's called group stalking. For them it seems like they enjoy a lot their bullying and all the evil stuff they do all the time. I can't wrapy mind around that this kind of people exist.
Thank you for the good explaining.
Sounds like a lot of politicians……
This explains so much.
I believe this new ideas are really correct. The only narcissism is covert and the overt grandiose is in fact psychopathic.
I'm just going to say that the hardest thing for me is switching between extreme states of depression, anhedonia, and complete collapse for months or years, and then suddenly sparking a switch back into somatic narcissism.
I neglect and abuse my body horribly when I'm in a state of collapse. I look nothing like myself and just hide in my apartment. Eventually, something will shift, and I will lean into electric workouts, beauty treatments, and becoming healthy. All are attempts to fill the empty void.
This cycle has repeated itself many times. It's painful, and the older I get, the harder it is to bounce back. I'll also feel like I need no one in those disintegrated states and shut people out. Then, when I snap back into somatic narcissism, I have an innate desire to be noticed and loved again.
Narcissism is a serious mental disorder; I did not ask for this. It is highly missed and misunderstood even by professionals. Sam, if you're reading this, I know you get what I'm saying.
Justin
Painfully conversation Thanks 👍
Doctors and nurses are perfect examples.
Convert soft but kill emphaty
This explains Trump perfectly.
What about Bill Gates? 🤔
Love the sarcasm.
What about when they are too cunning to be overtly obnoxious but this m.o. nevertheless underpins a high proportion of their interactions with others?
This is such a good point. It really is a brain illness
A metaphor for the question of toxic narcissism vs. healthy: Many human beings are born with a knife. Some people end up destroying others with it, and others end up defending others with it and looking after their needs, e.g., preparing food (if you want).
My nervous system has a deeply personal resentment and hatred for dark triad personality types.
This is very interesting with regard to the Mr Vaknin's points about the most recent observations & findings that NPD as a covert type is true to the diagnostic criteria / behavioural patterns, whereas so-called 'malignant' or grandiose is in fact exhibiting psychopathic traits co-morbid with NPD characteristics. That was my understanding anyway. I think it bears closest resemblance to reality.
My biggest issue with the narcissist in my life (SIL) is the enabling family which includes my spouse, "She has always been this way." Well…guess what? Not with me. The narcissist NEEDS enablers and when those are family members who do not want to take a stand there is absolutely zero incentive for them. The BEST THING TO DO – avoid at all costs. When forced to be with them bring out your strongest radar. When they cross YOUR boundary look them dead in the eye and say, "I SEE your self-centered need for attention. I refuse it." The Enablers will gasp and try to fix the narcissists wound – COWARDS. Then turn to the Enablers and say, "I SEE you enabling your sisters self-centered behavior." There you have shown a spotlight on the narcissist and the family enablers.
SOMEONE CALLED HIMSELF A "CLASSIC NARCISSISTS" …CAN A NAR. SELF DIAGNOSIS?
"Stage IV cancer of the mind." Very, very well put. That is exactly what this is.
If I have been sexually harassed by a powerful narcissist music instructor in an adult education setting, should I make a confidential complaint to the institution? There must be a lot of narcissistic gatekeepers and “mentors” in the arts. The problem is they can blacklist you. What’s the analysis for victims of abuse who are students and less powerful collaborators in the arts?
I think If people are around this narcissist behaviour long enough they'll take on the same traits? Comment please (I experienced it – so try to work against ending up like them)
Narcs are THE MOST miserable people that ever lived!
I agree
TRUMP IS A PROVEN NARCISSIST,,,"VOTE BLUE NATIONWIDE REGARDLESS OF PAST POLITICS ",,,OK
scary..empty vampires…they need people to feel and be someone ,something….like drinking blood…surviver and thriver of one.
Any idea where to find the full-length interview?
Tell ‘em Doc!
Wow!!!! So well explained. Thank you
When you ask someone…why are you angry, why did you cry….and they just get angrier.
They are dangerous because they don't give a fuck about anyone or anything else they believe they are better and they should disrespect hurt and humiliate everyone to make them feel superior
Have always said they have no ego. They are all id plus superego.
Who confirms If a person îs a Narcisist…they do not think of believe..that are toxic people..they have no heart..broken people…wounded…😢
Admirable 😮
"It's a kind of a simulation of a human being." I loved that. Overall, this is the best explanation of a narcissist I have ever heard.
Sam, Been following you since 2012. This is really turning into Psycho babble. The DSM analytics is crap, I've decided. So what percentage of Jewish / Israeli population suffers from Psychopathy? I call that having no conscious. Additionally, What idiot called these nasty, distorted and psychopathic manipulators Narcissists? The implication is like you said, happy go lucky. Instead, they are miserable stage actors.
Why is there so much narcissism in the world today?🤷♀️. Scary
Очень правильная классификация нарциссов !
Forsen
Perhaps the central question is not “Why does the narcissist need supply?” but “What information became too costly to maintain?” Could narcissistic defenses be understood as adaptive compression of psychologically significant information? I have the aswer.