For the month of May, Defying Shadows will be joining the Mental Health Awareness Month by sharing a post daily on a different type of Mental Illness or “Shadow” that people commonly struggle with. Join us in creating awareness and working to end the stigma that goes with these topics! Today we have Nichole sharing on Narcissistic Personality Disorder. ~ Defying Shadows Team.
Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder where an individual has an inflated sense of self-importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. People with this disorder often believe they are of primary importance in everybody’s life or to anyone they meet.
Here are three common myths related to Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
- Narcissism is really high self-esteem.
This is false. Someone can have really high self-esteem and not be narcissistic. The main difference is that people with high self-esteem focus on relationships, while narcissists are a sense of empathy that creates major difficulties within relationships.
- Narcissists are insecure and have low self-esteem.
Just the opposite of myth #1, People assume that narcissists must be concealing some deep insecurity or they actually hate themselves. The truth is that even if you measure self-esteem in a subtle, unconscious way, deep down inside, narcissists think they’re awesome. This myth is so important to grasp because when people behave narcissistically, often others will say that the solution is that they really need to boost their self-esteem which is not going to help because that is their problem.
- Narcissists are just vain and big-headed people.
Although a high level of narcissism can result in people becoming more obsessed with their own physical appearance and self-image, true narcissism goes much deeper resulting in an unreasonable balance of self-entitlement and dysfunctional relationships.
Nichole is a Social Media Marketing Manager and a Non-Profit Movement supporter. She grew up on a farm where she learned what it means to work hard and what is involved in being successful. She is an avid coffee lover who enjoys a good movie or book. She takes great joy in organizing, scheduling, and volunteering. Her passion for volunteerism extends specifically to those who are hurting, whether it is emotionally, physically, or mentally.
Defying Shadows 