Don't get me wrong, some people can be challenging to work with, befriend, or live with, and many episodes of difficulty are situational or context-specific. An artist may become exacting about a vision. An intensive care nurse supervisor may be meticulous about standards of care. A basketball coach may push for excellence. High standards, per se, are not the problem. The problem arises when "difficult" becomes the baseline across roles and relationships, and when the label is used to shield consistent callousness from accountability.
From a distance, it looks as though people are praying. Their heads are bowed solemnly, their hands folded before them. But then I notice the phone. They are not praying-just looking at their screens. Since the arrival of the smartphone, rates of mental illness have risen sharply: depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide, especially among the young. Our attention has been captured, our inner lives fragmented, and our sense of self quietly distorted.
In childhood, he felt like he did not belong to the small cultish church of his family, a fact and internal pain he minimized. The spirit of the church did not fit, and he felt a pull to what became the shadows of sex. Pornography, prostitutes, and internet obsession drew him increasingly into a secret life. He felt an outsider, and the not belonging represented an unanswered need for security.
Results show they were motivated by four distinct narcissistic traits - 'grandiose rivalry', 'grandiose admiration', 'vulnerable isolation' and 'vulnerable enmity'. Grandiose rivalry is defined as the devaluation of others and striving for supremacy, while grandiose admiration is typified by self-promotion and an extreme need for admiration. Vulnerable enmity comprises paranoia, aggression and a belief one is being treated unfairly, while vulnerable isolation is withdrawing from social situations to protect a fragile self-esteem.
Insincerity is the mother of deceit. Whenever we say something we don't mean, we tell a lie. It may be a small misrepresentation, but it's still a lie as we are being dishonest to hide what we truly think and feel. Repeated insincerity breaks down trust, communication, and understanding. So why do organizations, often without even knowing it, encourage insincerity in their employees? The answer lies a little with social media and a lot in narcissism.
Both children and partners of narcissistic people report a lack of satisfaction in their relationships with them. (1, 2) They mention such themes as insecurity in relationships, unrealistic expectations, a negative or fragile sense of self and difficulty with intimacy, as well as infidelity. (2,3) Narcissism is also connected with aggression, which in turn is negatively linked with the partner's relationship satisfaction. (2)
After every school shooting, mass shooting, or act of targeted political violence, I've noticed a heartbreaking and consistent theme in my work with families. Mothers often come to me with the same fearful question:"Why does this keep happening with boys-and is my son at risk too?" Most recently, one mother sat across from me, exhausted and tearful, asking if her parenting was somehow creating a "narcissist" in her son. She feared what she was seeing-and even more, what it might mean.
It's okay to let go of those who couldn't love you. Those who didn't know how to. Those who failed to even try. It's okay to outgrow them, because that means you filled the empty space in you with self-love instead.
Weddings should be joyous celebrations, yet complex family dynamics can turn them into battlegrounds. It's essential to set boundaries to preserve peace on your special day.