From the course: Working with Difficult People

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Responding to narcissistic behavior

Responding to narcissistic behavior

From the course: Working with Difficult People

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Responding to narcissistic behavior

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Believe it or not, there is such a thing as healthy narcissism. The word "narcissistic" describes a wide range of traits, and a degree of self-focus and desire for validation is actually completely normal. But at the extreme, narcissistic behavior can look like an excessive need for attention and praise, a lack of empathy for other people's needs, high sensitivity to criticism, and an inability to acknowledge flaws or mistakes. And that's the kind we're talking about in this movie. By the way, narcissistic behavior is usually a Level 3 behavior. A few years ago, I had a patient who was a successful financial analyst. He had a distinctly narcissistic air about him. Everything he did was perfect, and anyone who tried to tell him otherwise was just jealous or misguided. In our time together, he would often accuse me of wishing that I could be as successful as he was. And he spent a lot of time teaching me how to be a therapist. Now, of course, this frustrated me to no end, and it was…

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