14: Understanding Narcissism and How It Affects Your Relationships
- Gemma Gladstone
- November 19, 2020
We’re talking about something very interesting today. We’re starting a series discussion on narcissism, a topic that has come up a lot for us as clinicians over the years. Many of our clients have also nominated narcissism as a topic that they would like us to talk about.
In our practices, we see many people whose lives are affected by narcissism, and those relationships are often very preoccupying and distressing. Some people have parents, partners, friends, or even bosses who are narcissists. Today, in our first episode of this series, we will be covering what narcissism is, exactly. We will discuss the particulars in-depth, and we will also give you some examples. Going forward, we will be following on with some more specific episodes on the topic of narcissism. Be sure to stay tuned today to find out what narcissism is and the kind of impact it could have on your life.
Show highlights:
- What narcissism is.
- What a healthy amount of narcissism means.
- What insidious narcissism entails.
- Some of the more obvious traits of narcissists.
- The grandiose narcissist.
- Why narcissists avoid feeling vulnerable.
- Why it’s so difficult to have a relationship with a narcissist.
- The schemas of the types of people who tend to gather around narcissists.
- Why relationships with narcissists can lead to depression.
- Why and how narcissists tend to overcompensate.
- The malignant narcissist.
- Using empathic confrontation in therapy with narcissists.
- The origins of narcissism from a schema perspective.
- How narcissists gain their supply.
- The covert narcissist.
- Some of the defining characteristics of people with narcissism.
Links and resources:
The Good Mood Clinic website
Email Gemma and Justine at gemmaandjustine@goodmood.com.au
Go to the Good Mood Clinic website podcast page to download your free guide, which talks about the characteristics of an emotionally available partner.
Books mentioned:
Books by Wendy Behary – Disarming the Narcissist