Re-Threading Madness
January 16, 2023: An Important Conversation on Narcissism
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.