Dating a Narcissist

How Do You Know If You're Dating a Narcissist

A narcissist can’t walk past a mirror without checking himself out. And he always likes what he sees.

He will value you--not for yourself--but only for how good you make him look or what importance or status you bring to him. To put it another way, “It’s all about him…” All conversation tends to center around what he’s doing, or his opinion of something you’re doing. He never makes a mistake, and blames anything that goes wrong on someone else. He constantly bashes everything and everybody and will probably tell you how much smarter he is than anyone he knows—especially you.

He thinks your cat is an annoyance.

He dislikes everyone in your family, especially if you’re close to them.

He hassles you every time you want to go on a girls night out.

He is the poster boy for “High Maintenance.”

He doesn’t want a relationship. He wants to be worshipped.

Dating a narcissist is inviting the type of chaos into your life that will make you tired before you even get up in the morning. Dr. Albert Bernstein described narcissists this way in his book, Emotional Vampires:

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy, as indicated by at least five of the following:

1. a grandiose sense of self-importance

2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

3. believes that he or she is "special" and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)

4. requires excessive admiration

5. has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations

6. is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends

7. lacks empathy and is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

8. is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her

9. shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes.

What a fun guy. He obviously thinks he really IS a prince.

We have a different opinion. Ribbit, ribbit...