By Sici
In the world of dating (and the world in general), there are people you meet who you can easily describe as being selfish or self obsessed, but then there are also those people who go above and beyond that and can actually be deemed as full blown narcissists. Narcissist is a term that we like to throw around quite flippantly in society. Not everybody who is selfish is one, but when you find yourself possibly dating one, you need to know what you are looking for! According to a clinical psychologist, here are seven signs that you are dating a narcissist!
Their favourite thing to do is talk about themselves. No matter what conversation you start, they always find a way to bring it around to something involving them, or how it effects them, nothing about you or about the actual situation in hand. It happens so much it really feel as though they don’t know they are doing it.
Their favourite thing to do is talk about themselves. No matter what conversation you start, they always find a way to bring it around to something involving them, or how it affects them, nothing about you or about the actual situation in hand. It happens so much it really feels as though they don’t know they are doing it. They'll often hijack discussions to recount their own experiences or achievements, leaving little room for anyone else. Their self-absorbed nature makes meaningful dialogue nearly impossible, creating a one-sided relationship dynamic where your feelings and thoughts are continually sidelined.
They have a constant need for praise and reassurance about their looks, actions, opinions, everything. You might think that a narcissist is someone who doesn’t need praise because they are innately confident in themselves, but that isn’t the case. They are always seeking approval and attention.
They are constantly demeaning other people, even their friends and family, even you. They do this in an attempt to elevate themselves above everyone else and set themselves apart from the crowd in terms of superiority.
Even though they are happy to demean and criticise everyone else, a narcissist will be extremely sensitive to any kind of negative comment that comes their way. They have a tendency to overreact and cause a scene for any perceived threat.
You will notice a serious lack of empathy. If something isn’t directly affecting them, they simply don’t care. Everything they do and feel is motivated by their own direct experience, so empathy is definitely something that a narcissist doesn’t possess.
They have an incredible talent for making you feel bad about yourself. They will do things like downplay any accomplishment you might achieve, be critical of your hard work, generally anything that will help to keep your level of happiness and satisfaction underneath their own. If they are feeling bad, they will make it their mission to make you feel even worse.
A narcissist has the power to turn their charm and generosity on and off like a tap, because deep down, they don’t actually mean it. Their constant thoughts are along the lines of “what can I do for this person to further my own goals”, so you can only expect a kind face or a smile from them if they need something from you in return.