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Why We Forgive, Admire Favorite Narcissists: Misperceived as Benevolent, Protective

Uploaded 1/31/2025, approx. 3 minute read

Accomplished , super rich, super powerful narcissists, visible narcissists, overt, grandiose narcissists, no debate, no disagreement. Everyone agrees that they are narcissists.

But they deserve special treatment, they are entitled.

In your private life, you may consider narcissists to be monsters, you may castigate and chastise them, criticize them, suggest all kinds of horrible tortures, but when it comes to these accomplished super rich and super powerful narcissists, you turn a blind eye.

Why?

Because they have the right to be grandiose. They have the right to abuse other people. They are forgiven because of their alleged or real contributions to society.

Their grandiosity is not fantastic because it is grounded in real life achievements.

These narcissists are perceived as benevolent. Shockingly, they're perceived as benevolent. They're perceived as protective. They're perceived as friendly.

Why this double standard? Why are there two classes of narcissists?

And this is why I'm aghast when people make a distinction between useful, helpful, admirable narcissists and all other narcissists.

You see victims of narcissists online, castigating narcissists, chastising them, criticizing them, attacking them, hating on them, and then admiring other narcissists who are powerful, rich, and accomplished.

So it seems like there are two classes of narcissists.

There's the humdrum pedestrian narcissists and they are monsters and they are evil and they are to be extirpated and they are to be obliterated and eliminated and incarcerated.

And then there's a small elite of narcissists. These are the super rich narcissists, the super powerful narcissists, the super accomplished narcissists. Or those narcissists who manage their public relations and image so well that they become admired and adored, gurus, public intellectuals and so on.

And these narcissists, for some reason, are special. They're exempt. They have the right to be grandiose. They have the right to abuse other people. They're accepted. They're perfectly okay. They're forgiven because of their alleged real contributions to society.

The grandiosity of these narcissists is not perceived as fantastic because it is grounded in real life achievements.

These real life achievements, real or imagined, by the way, give them the right to abuse people. They are forgiven.

And this is really bad.

This attitude of discriminating between classes of narcissists is really bad as far as the victims go because it allows the narcissists access to the victim's psyche.

And most of these accomplished super rich, super powerful narcissists are actually malignant narcissists. They're psychopaths as well as narcissists.

You have been warned.

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Alcohol+Covert Narcissist=Antisocial Grandiose Narcissist

Covert narcissists often use alcohol as a means to transform their self-perception from feelings of inadequacy to a grandiose sense of self, shedding their modesty and inhibitions. Alcohol alters their empathy, making them less caring towards loved ones while enhancing their connection with strangers, leading to reckless behaviors and impulsive decisions. This disinhibition can result in a dangerous shift towards psychopathic traits, as the alcohol amplifies their latent narcissism and aggression. Ultimately, the cycle of drinking leads to feelings of guilt and shame once sober, reinforcing their self-loathing and dependence on alcohol to escape their emotional turmoil.


Narcissist's Accomplices

Malignant narcissism is pervasive in society, yet it remains largely unrecognized and under-researched, partly because it aligns with cultural values that condone self-centeredness and exploitation. Various groups, including adulators, blissfully ignorant individuals, self-deceivers, and the deceived, enable narcissists by either benefiting from their behavior or denying its harmful effects. These dynamics are particularly evident in hierarchical structures like political parties and corporations, where narcissistic traits are often rewarded. Victims of narcissism frequently cling to the hope of changing or healing the narcissist, despite the reality that such beliefs are often misguided and detrimental.


Narcissists: Their Professions, Jobs, and Vocations

Narcissists are over-represented in certain professions, including teaching, the clergy, show business, corporate management, medicine, the military, law enforcement, politics, and sports. They gravitate towards these professions to construct self-enclosed spaces where they are divine, god-like figures with a coterie of fans, admirers, followers, and devotees. Narcissists are dangerous in these professions as they lack empathy and ethical standards, and are prone to immorally, cynically, callously, and consistently abuse and misuse their position. Their socialization process is often disturbed, perturbed, and this results in social dysfunctioning.


Anxiety, Depression, and Narcissism

Depression is a form of aggression that is directed at the depressed person rather than at their environment. This regime of repressed and mutated aggression is a characteristic of both narcissism and depression. Narcissism is sometimes described as a form of low-intensity depression. Depression is how this kind of patient experiences their overflowing reservoir of aggression.


Why Narcissist APPEARS So STUPID (Borderlines and Psychopaths, too!)

Narcissists, despite often possessing high intelligence, frequently exhibit profound stupidity in their interactions and decision-making due to cognitive distortions like grandiosity and a lack of empathy. This disconnect from reality impairs their ability to learn from past experiences, leading to repetitive mistakes and self-destructive behaviors. Their immaturity and reliance on external validation further contribute to their inability to navigate life effectively, making them susceptible to manipulation and poor judgment. Ultimately, their intellectual capabilities are overshadowed by their emotional and social dysfunctions, rendering them inadequate in real-life situations.


Acquired Situational Narcissism

According to Professor Robert B. Millman, pathological malignant narcissism can be induced in adulthood by celebrity, wealth, and fame. He calls this acquired situational narcissism and believes that it can be provoked by certain situations. However, it is likely that acquired situational narcissism is merely an amplification and manifestation of earlier narcissistic conduct, traits, style, and tendencies. Narcissists tend to gravitate to specific professions and settings which guarantee them access to fame, celebrity, power, and wealth.


"Near Death Experiences (NDEs)" of Narcissist, Borderline

Near-death experiences often involve a surge of gamma wave activity in the brain, suggesting a correlation with consciousness at the moment of death. This phenomenon has been observed in both humans and animals, indicating that individuals may experience vivid sensations or perceptions as they approach death. Narcissists and borderlines exist in a state akin to a near-death experience, with narcissists being disconnected from reality and trapped in an internal landscape of lost relationships, while borderlines experience depersonalization and dissociation in response to stress. Both personality types exhibit a profound emptiness and lack of identity, leading to a life experience that is fundamentally one of psychological death.


Real Narcissists are Covert, Grandiose Narcissists are Psychopaths

Compensatory narcissism is a clinical entity linked to self-discrepancy, where individuals experience a conflict between their self-perception and reality, leading to narcissistic behaviors as a coping mechanism for underlying insecurities. Recent research has provided objective measurement tools that support the existence of compensatory narcissism, distinguishing it from grandiose narcissism, which is often associated with psychopathy. The study highlights that narcissism is driven by insecurity rather than self-love, suggesting that behaviors like "flexing" on social media are attempts to manage low self-worth. Additionally, while narcissists are aware of their behaviors, they reinterpret them as advantageous rather than problematic, contrasting with the lack of insight seen in conditions like anosognosia. This understanding emphasizes the complex interplay between narcissism, self-perception, and social behavior.


Why We Love to Hate Celebrities (Interview in Superinteressante Magazine in Brazil)

Celebrities serve as mythical narratives and blank screens for fans to project their emotions onto. When celebrities deviate from these roles, it can provoke rage from fans. Celebrities who are narcissists use their false self to elicit constant attention and interest, and celebrity itself is a variant of narcissism.


Cyber (Internet) Narcissists and Psychopaths

The Internet serves as an enticing environment for narcissists, providing a platform for attention and validation through false identities and instant gratification. Both somatic and cerebral narcissists exploit this space to maintain their grandiose self-image, often engaging in manipulative behaviors while avoiding the risks associated with real-life interactions. Although the Internet can offer some therapeutic insights through feedback and resistance, many narcissists ultimately crave tangible, face-to-face connections that the virtual world cannot fulfill. Consequently, they frequently oscillate between online engagement and withdrawal, unable to fully integrate into the digital community.

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