The Faces Of Narcissism

We all need a dose of self-love to know how to value ourselves and enjoy good self-esteem. Faced with this idea, narcissistic people grow up and seem very self-confident when, deep down, they feel very insecure. Today we will discover the different faces of narcissism to detect it both in others and in ourselves.

The main characteristic of narcissistic people is that their ego is so large that the space for others – in their attention focus – is very limited. Something closely related to empathy, as stated in the thesis Narcissistic personality disorder . In fact, in the eyes of others, they are often considered self-centered. With this, they only seek admiration, praising their achievements and seeking that others consider them the best.

It can be said that the narcissist feeds on others. If no one admires him, if he has no one to brag to, his power diminishes. Then you can confront your fearful lack of self-esteem. Therefore, the faces of narcissism are the masks you will use to escape this possibility.

Vulnerable Narcissists

The first faces of narcissism that we will address have to do with those people who put on a mask of vulnerability to others. However, behind her, there is a wake-up call, an appalling fear and an attempt to manipulate whoever is next to her.

• Dependent narcissist : his fear of abandonment makes him experience a void that constantly reproaches the person he is with, whom he holds responsible for this. His emotional demands increase as the relationship progresses and he manipulates to prevent the other person from leaving. Look for affection and be the center of attention for someone.
• Narcissistic martyr : he uses suffering to justify his need for support and attention, although no one can fully satisfy this. She tries to make other people feel tied to her by making them feel guilty for not supporting them as they need.

As we have seen, these types of narcissists have a great void that they cannot fill and use manipulation to gain the attention or affection of others. These types of narcissists create very damaging and destructive relationships.

Malicious narcissists

Previous faces of narcissism used vulnerability to gain attention and be the center of attention for others. However, in this case, malicious narcissists use different techniques.

• Vengeful Narcissist – Use others to destroy them by lying, slandering, and trampling to get on top. He can’t stand anyone overshadowing him. For this reason, they will try to humiliate and destroy the self-esteem of others, whom they see as competition.
• Trickster Narcissist : At first you may seem like a very nice and friendly person, but this is just a facade. Your best face is nothing more than a weapon to gain the trust of those whom you will use to make yourself feel better.

• Hostile Narcissist – His words are his best weapon that he uses to lay waste to anyone around. Any word they dedicate to him is taken as a personal attack on his worth. Their anger is only calmed if they praise it as expected, with exaggeration.
• Narcissistic tyrant : unable to establish relationships without trying to dominate others. He believes that he is better and that others are all inferior people, so much so that he comes to consider them objects. Their domination goes to the point of possessing others culminating in abuse.

Other faces of narcissism

There are other faces of narcissism. We also identify it in people who spend a lot of time on their image. Social media, along with flattering comments about her physique, feed back on her narcissism. In addition, they may believe that because of their image they deserve to achieve everything (eg: a partner, a job).

Then there are other types of narcissists who believe they are messianic beings and are infinite in their teaching.  This reinforces your feeling of superiority (or combats that of inferiority). “Help” others, even if they don’t ask, but try to win the favor in one way or another.

Lastly, there are the narcissists who brag about successes and achievements that they never actually achieved (at least in the way they construct their story). Its purpose is to garner admiration in others. The people around them, when they discover their lies, often change their admiration for the opposite. It is then when they usually change circles and start a story that they know by heart.

As we have seen, there are multiple faces of narcissism that need to be identified. These types of people, despite having profound deficiencies, can do a lot of damage. Therefore, as soon as we realize it, it is best to take precautions. Trying to get them to change or go to a psychologist are not usually possible intermediate goals. Narcissists believe that it is others who are wrong, while they are the best, the sufferers, or who others want to take the first place from them.