Ways To Detect A Narcissist In Your Life, According To Expert

When you bring someone into your life, that relationship should be able to lift your spirits each day and make you love your life. However, when you end up with a narcissist, all they make you feel is self-conscious, deprived of love and care and drained out of energy after every meeting.

A narcissist is full of themselves. Everything is about them—what they want, how great they are, and how everyone is jealous of them when the reality is opposite! A narcissist is the center of their world and wants to be the center of yours too. You are nothing more than a supply for a narcissist, upon whom they can feed for a sense of control, authority, and constant praise. Their behavior can be a put-off, making it difficult to maintain a relationship with them.

True narcissistic behavior is more than just self-obsession. It's a diagnosable condition called Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).

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What Is Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)?

A person living with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is called a ‘narcissist’ who is full of themselves. They typically feel like they are important—and often more important than others. They brim with self-importance, ignorance and entitlement.

“Over the period, a narcissist can mete out extreme emotional abuse to their victims, leading to an identity-erasure and trauma bonding,” said our expert Snehal Saraf, a counseling psychologist and psychotherapist specializing in couple and family therapy, and the founder of Empowered Empaths, a (Narcissistic Abuse Support Group).

Most narcissists are aware of the damage they are causing with their actions, but there is the least they can do to change them. While it is right to acknowledge their condition, it doesn’t mean you need to continue a relationship with them.

The below-given signs will help you identify a narcissist in your life and decide your next steps.

Ways To Detect A Narcissist In Your Life

All they do is talk about themselves

A narcissist’s obsession with themselves is far from self-love! If all a person talks about is their life, their achievements, and how superior they are, and never talks about you or lets you give a word in—take notes!

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They shower you with love (at first)

A narcissist is not always bad, at least not at first. In the beginning of the relationship, they will love bomb you, make you depend on them for validation and love, then boom! They will deprive you of love, leaving you feeling confused and rejected.

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They will attack your self-esteem in the name of jokes

First, they will make you feel special, then after a point of time, they'll make you feel bad about yourself. They’ll throw insults in the name of jokes. Usually, these insults are just a reflection of their deep-rooted insecurities. A narcissist likes to bring people down in order to feel good about themselves.

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A person suffering from narcissistic abuse is often bound by confusion. “Can a person do this to another person?”, “Is this only happening to me because I am not good enough?”, “What do I need to change to be loved?” Snehal talked about a common narrative among all the narcissistic abuse victims.

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It's important to notice these signs and take a step back before you get trapped in the shackles of trauma bonding. Never hesitate to seek out help when necessary!