What Would Jesus Do to Get a Narcissist to Recognize How Hurtful His Behavior Is?
A narcissist, or someone with narcissistic personality disorder, is someone who has an inflated sense of self — boasting of all of their successes, exploiting others to get ahead, and becoming enraged when challenged or put down. What is not widely known is that those with narcissistic personality disorder often have a low sense of self-esteem and very fragile egos. They put others down to make themselves feel better and to distract others from pointing out their own perceived flaws.
Can A Narcissist Change?
In this situation, what would Jesus do to help a narcissist from putting others down just to help them feel better about themselves? He would likely want them to realize that there are many other methods to feel better about oneself, without sacrificing the self-esteem of others. While it may take time, learning to let go of a narcissistic personality, transforming from an unhealthy self-esteem to a healthier one, can be achieved.
First of all, a narcissist needs to admit that they are, in fact, a narcissist and are hurting other people with their behavior. They have to want to change. But their desire, and their efforts to change, need a large amount of support from those around them. They need to feel loved. They need to feel supported. Most of all, they need to feel needed.
As a narcissist gains success in their endeavors without repercussion from others, and is able to improve their relationships, they will gain self-confidence and gradually chip away at their narcissistic tendencies. When this begins to happen, a healthy, inner self will begin to develop and help a narcissist to express positive feelings towards others and gain fulfillment for themselves.
Are You a Narcissist?
Whether you may notice it in yourself or not, we all express narcissistic thinking. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have narcissistic personality disorder. We all like to be complimented. We all want to be approved of and validated. “Healthy narcissism” is tantamount to self-love. People with a strong sense of self-love have a positive self-esteem; they are confident and feel good about themselves. They do not feel superior to others and don’t feel the need to belittle or devalue them. They carry with them the feeling of, “I’m good,” not, “I’m better.”
It should be noted, though, that having too little narcissistic thinking can be just as problematical as having too much. Too little narcissism can make it difficult to tolerate criticism and hurt your self-esteem. This can damage your self-love and lead to a lack of confidence and poor sense of self-worth. Altogether, this can result in the development of an inferiority complex, which breeds depression and anxiety. The good “mojo” we get from healthy narcissism is what motivates us to improve our lives.
Healthy Narcissism
Healthy narcissism is essential for your psychological health. It is what protects us from painful disappointments, failures, and feelings of helplessness. It is a normal defense against the world and is what motivates us to seek improvement in our lives.
