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Re-Threading Madness

Nar­cis­sism is a psy­cho­log­i­cal term and is cat­e­go­rized in the DSM as a psy­chi­atric dis­or­der: The DSM clin­i­cal­ly out­lines it as a men­tal con­di­tion where peo­ple have an inflat­ed sense of their impor­tance, a deep need for exces­sive atten­tion and admi­ra­tion, has trou­bled rela­tion­ships, lacks empa­thy for oth­ers and while dis­play­ing extreme con­fi­dence they have a frag­ile self-esteem that over­re­acts to even the slight­est crit­i­cism. Only a licensed diag­nos­ti­cian can legit­i­mate­ly apply a label of narcissism. 

Out here in the world of lay­men, it is a word that has been ban­tered about to refer to some­one who is self-cen­tered and demand­ing that all focus be on them­selves to the exclu­sion of the needs of oth­ers which leaves peo­ple emo­tion­al­ly demol­ished in their wake. Why is it impor­tant for us to under­stand if we are deal­ing with a – even – undi­ag­nosed nar­cis­sist? Because A like the sociopath, the nar­cis­sist with their spe­cif­ic sense that they can do no wrong is more than not unlike­ly to attend ther­a­py and, there­fore, be diag­nosed. And B, the impact of liv­ing with or being in a rela­tion­ship with a nar­cis­sist leaves one bewil­dered, con­fused, and in emo­tion­al agony. To find our way out of that quag­mire, we need a frame­work to be able to pull the pieces apart and then put our lives back togeth­er. Today, Rebec­ca talks about her first-hand expe­ri­ence of a narcissist.