Mental health: The behind pathological narcissism

Selfish, conceited, self-indulgent. The most well-narcissists describe would. Such people are greedy formally to attention and admiration. Ambitious, you are often also.

In fact, they hold a leadership position and provide Outstanding performance. And you are very convinced of themselves. Such a personality style is not necessarily pathological.

“To a certain extent, narcissism is just another term for a healthy pursuit of self-worth,” says the Hamburg psychiatrist and psychotherapist Prof. Claas-Hinrich Lammers.

From a narcissistic personality disorder is talk, however, if the narcissism of the patient and his environment leads to Suffering.

Lammers estimates that about one percent of the population has the disorder is a narcissistic personality.

Narcissists often have an unstable sense of self-worth

Sufferers have an inflated sense of, but at the same time, unstable self-esteem. You are trying by excessive and reality-distorting self-presentation to compensate for.

They tend to overestimate their skills and achievements. “Your self worth, you increase the fact that you have an exaggerated entitlement attitude,” says Lammers.

People with this disorder may have on others. Specifically, they try to dominate others and to control and to keep their performance and achievements small or devalue.

“Such behavior inevitably leads to conflict,” says Prof. Sabine Herpertz, Director of the clinic for General psychiatry at the University hospital in Heidelberg.

You show little compassion and concern for others. Your desires are not fulfilled, the barrage of criticism. A miss a result, they react with Anger, Aggression or derogatory Statements.

“Interest in other Affected only if they contribute to the achievement of your goals, or you are having difficulties with the other in admiration,” explains Claas-Hinrich Lammers.

The Dilemma of the Affected

The application takes As little people with narcissistic personality disorder to a Dilemma, so Lammers: the interest for other people, so you need their attention and admiration, in order to stabilize their self-esteem.

As a sufferer of pressure: arises firstly from the tensions and conflicts with others. And, secondly, the growing gap between reality on the one hand, and the right attitude and self-idealization on the other.

Affected be shown their place, you can run into existential crises.

Narcissism is Concerned, often hardly aware of

“A big Problem is that data often have only a very low disease awareness,” says Sabine Herpertz, who sits on the Board of the professional society DGPPN (German society for psychiatry and psychotherapy, psychosomatics and nerve medicine).

Anyone who is suffering from a narcissistic personality disorder, goes, often due to diseases such as depression, eating disorders, or because of an Addiction in psychotherapy.

The challenges in the therapy

The beginning of the therapy can be difficult. “Therapists often need to have a lot of time to the patients at all, to approach”, says Claas-Hinrich Lammers.

Pathological narcissists to go with them first, just as with other people in your environment: you want to demonstrate your Superiority by your devalue.

Therefore, the therapist or the therapist must put the patient first to open up and build trust.

In addition: “In the case Concerned, the critical is often self-reflection is difficult,” says Sabine Herpertz. How bad is your behavior and appearance to others, you are usually not aware of.

But it’s not just a matter that Affected learning, feel into others to.

You should also get a new behavior strategies to better deal with other to get clear. Who puts high demands on themselves, gets achievable targets.

Psychiatrist Claas-Hinrich Lammers gave the example of a man who works more than necessary, and regularly working Overtime.

“In therapy, it turned out that the man has worked so excessively much, because there was nothing else in his life, what interested him really.”

In the case, it was not least for this reason, to help the patient in finding meaningful Alternatives to work, such a beautiful Hobby.

Many search for a sense of security

Generally speaking, at the according to experts, in the therapy of superficial, what is missing to be Concerned, actually, specifically.

Often, the self-idealization and Devalue that of other people “is only a substitute gratification”. Many would have just the need for belonging and security.

Here it was, the Affected individual ways to their solution. “In many cases, it makes sense, even members in the therapy involved,” says Sabine Herpertz.

The members would have to learn in the course of the treatment, for example, to formulate their own interests – without the people with narcissistic personality disorder to devalue.

The disorder is curable? Claas-Hinrich Lammers says: “You can’t change people fundamentally.”

Rather, the therapy is a matter of extreme behavior and ways of thinking to illuminate and modify. “This improves the quality of life of patients and reduces Suffering,” says Lammers. Also for the environment.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa)

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