The three masks of pathological narcissism

The masks of pathological narcissism They are manipulation mechanisms used by narcissists to hide both their intentions and their true condition. They do not want to appear to others as petulant or arrogant. That’s why they hide it behind such mechanisms. This is sometimes effective and ends up confusing those around you.

Narcissism is the exaggerated esteem and valuation that one professes to oneself. So, We speak of pathological narcissism when a person overestimates what they are and, in turn, has an excessive need. that others admire him. This happens because deep down there is an unconscious contempt for themselves.

Those who have distorted narcissism can become very destructive with others. In their desire to assert themselves, they become manipulators. cruel or abusive with others. They do not do it consciously, but rather they deceive themselves regarding their behavior. They construct the masks of pathological narcissism to convince themselves and others that theirs is not excessive pride. These are the three most typical cases.

1. Fictional self-improvement

Fictional self-enhancement is one of the masks of pathological narcissism. It basically consists of making progress, evolving or growing, not with the sincere objective of being better, but with the covert purpose of arousing admiration, envy or submission in others.

One of the characteristics of pathological narcissism is that it has a type of self-esteem which is called “contingent self-esteem”. This means that the feeling of personal worth is not born from genuine self-love, but depends on the evaluation that others make of them.

Therefore, this type of persons They strive to be better not as an end, but as a means. Their ultimate goal is to prevail over others., make them submit to their designs or make them feel inferior. Something that reveals this mask of pathological narcissism is that the person who wears it repeatedly and publicly boasts of his or her progress. He also complains to others for not noticing or highlighting them enough.

2. Self-sacrifice, one of the masks of pathological narcissism

This is one of the most deceptive masks of pathological narcissism. Is related to that behavior in which a person places responsibilities on his or her shoulders that are not yours, supposedly, to help others solve their problems. They even go so far as to deprive themselves of goods and privileges or suffer very difficult situations for others.

The problem is that their intention is not really to do something positive for others. What they are looking for is to generate authority and dependence of others towards him. Self-sacrifice allows them to put on a veil of supposed goodness, generosity or dedication. This only serves to cover up a much more selfish purpose: to exalt themselves.

As in the previous case, these types of masks also fall off very easily. The self-sacrificing person will not take long to blame what he does for others.. He will try to make those he “helps” feel guilty, demanding special treatment or greater consideration for himself. He claims a place of superiority over others. It is very common for them to make real dramas of victimhood.

3. Fantasies of grandeur

People with pathological narcissism have fantasies of grandiosity related to themselves. In principle, they really feel better than others. At least, consciously. They constantly compare themselves to others and always come out on top, in their eyes. They are kinder, more tolerant, more capable and more everything, even if it is not true.

One of the most characteristic features of this type of people is that they feel a “right to anger.” In other words, they believe they have a license to get angry. His anger is sacred. If they explode it is because others led them to that. If they shout it is because they cannot tolerate being unfair to someone as good as them. If they offend, they do so to avoid injustice or achieve some other laudable goal.

Sometimes they convince others of this. The most typical case is that of bosses who mistreat their collaborators out of a supposed desire for improvement and perfection in everything.. Sometimes an entire group is the victim or object of these fantasies of grandeur.

The masks of pathological narcissism are mechanisms to conceal the self. The narcissist does not want to see himself as such in the eyes of others. That’s why he uses those gadgets, which allow him to cover up his basic personality traits. A person who acts this way, deep down, suffers a lot and, above all, needs help..

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