Granted – there are patients who are more famous and less popular in psychotherapy. Narcissists are more likely to belong to the latter. Colloquially, a person who appears as selfish, vain, and self-indulgent is quickly denounced as a narcissist. On the other hand, in psychology, narcissism is a personality trait that, like intelligence, is naturally distributed among the population. Narcissistic people are confident, love to lead, and take what they want.
Drop others to feel bigger
However, if these characteristics get out of hand, limit the totality of life and place a heavy burden on the person in question or those around him, one speaks of narcissistic personality disorder. Affected people have an enormous desire for admiration and attention. They are always waiting for compliments and consider themselves so important that everyone has to submit to them. Because of their demanding attitude and inability to recognize the needs of others, they sometimes shamelessly take advantage of their fellow human beings. They underestimate the achievements and successes of strangers: they have to make others small in order to feel good about themselves.
It is precisely these characteristics that make life difficult for narcissistic people and their loved ones that often prevent them from seeking treatment. To do this, you must admit to yourself that you need help – and accept the therapist as a competent counterpart. This makes treatment difficult, but by no means impossible, says psychiatrist and narcissist expert Klaas Heinrich Lammers. His book aims to help therapists who rise to the challenge. Specifically, he recommends distinguishing between adaptive and non-adaptive characteristics of a patient. So its claim can be very useful. Likewise, one should always focus on strengths and competencies.
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