I had ended my series about Narcissism and then my old friend Kate Bornstein sent me this recent article from the New York Times. I felt it added something interesting not covered in any of the previous posts -- a study that shows narcissists don't change much over time. It adds up with the other information and I felt it was a good addition to include here. Narcissism Is a Trait That’s Hard to Shake, Study Says Here’s how to recognize it and cope with the narcissist in your life By Christina Caron July 11, 2024 If you’re hoping that the narcissist in your life will change, a new stud … [Read more...]
The Narcissistic Personality Part 7: Narcissist abuse has gone mainstream
This is a recent article in the Washington Post that wraps up this series. See the earlier posts here: Part 1: The Narcissist Part 2: The Sneaky Techniques of the Covert Narcissist Part 3: The “Generous” Narcissist Part 4: The Altruistic Narcissist Part 5: Do Narcissists Cry? Part 6: When The Narcissist Fails Liz C. had always known something was wrong with her marriage of 30 years, but she could never identify the problem. After her husband retired, the disengagement, silent treatment and lack of support that characterized the relationship wor … [Read more...]
The Narcissistic Personality Part 5: Do Narcissists Cry?
See earlier posts in this series: Part 1: The Narcissist Part 2: The Sneaky Techniques of the Cover Narcissist Part 3: The “Generous” Narcissist Part 4: The Altruistic Narcissist The propensity to cry is not something I ever observed in either Ron Hubbard or David Miscavige -- this is perhaps the first trait describing the narcissist that has not applied, though certainly the underlying emotions and motivations were present. But it is enlightening in a broader sense for anyone trying to understand or dealing with a narcissistic personality. Overview of nar … [Read more...]
The Narcissistic Personality Part 4: The Altruistic Narcissist
This is an interesting twist — at first glance altruism and narcissism seem completely contradictory. In my experience, both L. Ron Hubbard and David Miscavige displayed these traits: claiming to have pure intentions to help mankind, even requiring enormous personal sacrifice on their behalf, until it no longer forwarded their objective. Then it’s forgotten faster than yesterday’s news. Read the earlier posts in this series: Part 1: The Narcissist Part 2: The Sneaky Techniques of the Cover Narcissist Part 3: The “Generous” Narcissist What is an Altruistic Narc … [Read more...]
Narcissistic Personality Part 3: The “Generous” Narcissist
This is an article written by Darius Cikanavicius on the PsychCentral site. It's no secret that a core narcissistic trait is the lack of empathy and care for others. However, people with strong narcissistic tendencies and other dark personality traits (hereafter narcissists) do sometimes act in a caring manner, or try to appear this way. In this article, we will explore the common reasons behind this behaviour. Adulation Regular people with healthy levels of empathy are generally helpful and thoughtful people. They genuinely care about and … [Read more...]
Narcissistic Personality Part 2: Sneaky Techniques of the Covert Narcissist
The second in the series about the Narcissistic Personality. You can read the first one here. This a piece written by Shahida Arabi, MA Fortunately, overt narcissists are usually easy to spot and hopefully easier to avoid investing in. Covert narcissists, on the other hand, present new challenges; they can appear meek, innocent, charitable, even humble at first glance. They can be disarmingly seductive, even loving, personable and gracious. Yet beneath their quieter nature and seemingly sensitive facade lurks a contempt and sense of entitlement that is ultimately even more harmful … [Read more...]
Narcissistic Personalities
An article in Psychology Today highlights the traits of a narcissist -- they are not dissimilar to the sociopath (See my earlier series of posts about the traits of the sociopath). I am not entirety certain whether cults attract narcissists who rise to the top of the hierarchy, or whether narcissists create cults -- but the need for praise and approval and the shifting of blame to others is a hallmark of the narcissistic personality. And this is a hallmark of a cult leader. I think it is helpful to understand the characteristics of these personality types because they are … [Read more...]