Pbenjay's Blog

Narcissis =-Oil on canvas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mental Health Monday looks into the world of narcissisim. Here’s what Dr. Barry Lubetkin has to say about this subject.

“One third of couples who seek me out for relationship therapy apparently have at least one member who demonstrates features of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. This condition can be a killer to healthy intimacy and good communication in relationships. One partner will regularly demonstrate extreme vanity, expectations for special treatment, a hunger for admiration, and most destructively, an inability to feel and express empathy for their partner. They also tend to be exploitative of others and have a very tough time handling critical feedback.

While exact etiology is unknown, extreme over praise OR severe criticism as a child have often been implicated. Depression often accompanies this personality temperament.

The Narcissist simply is so self absorbed that they are unable to anticipate the hurt feelings of a partner. They have great difficulty putting themselves “inside” the heart and mind of the other. Empathy is non existent, or can be faked in order to gain the admiration of the partner or the partner’s family. Without intense and prolonged therapy narcissists do not develop the kind of insight that allows them to overcome their basic insecurity which they then cover up in an attempt to protect their fragile selves.

If any of these descriptions fit the one you love,insist that they seek out professional help!”