Most people have some degree of narcissism in their personality and in many cases this is actually a positive thing—looking after our own interests can help to prevent others taking advantage of us. But if the man you are in a relationship with is a true narcissist, it can lead to a whole lot of complex problems and in order to make the relationship less dysfunctional, you need to learn how to deal with narcissistic behavior in men.
One of the main traits of a narcissist is that they are incredibly self absorbed. They truly believe that the whole world revolves around them. Because of this, your problems and issues are not likely to feature very highly on a narcissistic man’s radar: the only issues he will be concerned about are his own problems.
So how do you deal with a man who is deeply uninterested when you are in the midst of a crisis at work or similar?
To learn how to deal with narcissistic behavior in men, you have to learn how to take control. Instead of taking a back seat in the relationship and accepting your role as a sycophantic acolyte who is simply there to shower constant praise and adoration on the narcissist, you have to learn how to stand up for yourself and say, “I need your support, so please listen to me.” Unless you do this regularly, the narcissist will remain oblivious to the problem.
Narcissists can be extremely manipulative and controlling, they are also likely to be pathological liars. If you are the type of person who does not stand up for themselves, you may find that you end up isolated from friends and family. Narcissists are often good at creating problems within families. They love drama and anything that makes them the center of attention is welcome, so to this end, do not always believe everything they say about someone you know for they might just be stirring up trouble for their own amusement.
Most narcissistic men are experts at avoiding responsibility. If anything goes wrong, you can guarantee it will not be their fault. Unsurprisingly, this can lead to a great deal of anger, resentment and frustration within a relationship. When this happens, it is usually a good idea to simply walk away rather than rant and throw plates. You have to accept that you can never change a narcissist: he is what he is.
But whilst the majority of narcissists are not the easiest of men to deal with, some are downright mad, bad, and dangerous to know. There is a sub-category of narcissism known as malignant narcissism. Men who fall into this category can be violent, sadistic and cruel, and if your man shows any signs of such behavioral traits, it is a very good idea to end the relationship before you are seriously hurt, either physically or emotionally.
Living with a narcissistic is difficult, but not impossible. As long as you avoid being trampled all over in the relationship, you stand a very good chance of making it work. However, if you suffer from low esteem issues, consider seeking couples therapy to try and even out the balance of power in the relationship.
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