By Not a Narcissist Levi Kassinove
We all like to believe that we are great people. Very few are self-aware enough to make an effort to improve themselves, except for me of course. Are you confident and comfortable in your own skin or are you just a narcissist? Are you so disconnected from reality that you don’t see the hypocrisy in your article for the school blog? For the people questioning if they are a narcissist or not, the good news is that you’re most likely fine. Real narcissists are “fully aware that they are narcissistic and that they have a narcissistic reputation” (Psychology Today). The truth is that they just don’t see the problem with it, and therefore make no effort to change. But, for the people who think they have some narcissistic tendencies and truly want to improve, I have some genius tips and tricks to share with you. Read carefully because I’m not going to grace you with my wisdom again.
In order to identify narcissistic tendencies, we should start by looking at a non-narcissist such as myself. Modest people, when questioning if they are narcissistic, usually look online for a reputable-looking quiz to test for narcissism. This shows that the person is concerned about their behavior and wants to improve. A narcissist wouldn’t bother to take the quiz because they think that it doesn’t matter, and that they have nothing to improve. I took a quiz from Psych Central, which sounds reputable enough, and I got an extremely low score on the narcissism scale. When taking the quiz, keep in mind that you should answer the questions honestly, no matter how embarrassing it is to pick the option “I think I am a special person” in front of your friends. It is important to be honest with yourself so that you can do the quiz correctly, as I did.
Narcissists don’t critically analyze themselves in order to find their flaws. Instead, they focus on critiquing other people while believing that they don’t have any flaws. So ask yourself: Do I often spend my time at the center of attention, looking down on others? Do I care at all about self-improvement? And, perhaps most importantly, do I really care about the well-being of others or do I only offer help so that I can later manipulate them? If you think you have some narcissistic tendencies, it’s best to subscribe to this blog and keep reading my articles. Maybe even comment on something. It’s your only hope of changing your narcissistic ways.
For people with true Narcissistic Personality Disorder, change is impossible. “You cannot change a person with narcissistic personality disorder or make them happy by loving them enough or by changing yourself to meet their whims and desires. They will never be in tune with you, never empathic to your experiences, and you will always feel empty after an interaction with them,” says Dr. Angela Grace, PhD, MEd, BFA, BEd (Healthline). For the rest of us, and by that I mean the rest of you, the first step to becoming a better person is admitting that you can sometimes be a narcissistic jerk. From there, identify the times when you slip into that attitude and try to catch yourself. The most important thing is knowing the problem and wanting to change. Next time you explain something to someone or a group of people, try not to do it in a condescending way. You’ll find that people will be more friendly around you if you try to listen to their thoughts and feelings. The bottom line, though, is that this all comes down to being self-aware. As long as you’re self-aware, you can stay humble. Like me.
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