Narcissists. They are everywhere. We all have a few in the family or at work. They are the people who think the world revolves around their needs, desires, emotions, and life plans. They are the ones who disregard and disrespect you, the ones who can’t understand why you would be upset by one of their rude comments about the way you look, dress, speak, etc. Why are you so upset? After all, they’re just trying to be honest with you, and they believe being honest is a positive trait.
Of course being honest is a positive trait. We teach our children every day to be honest. However, when the truth is subjective rather than objective, honesty is not always the best policy. Just because I don’t like corduroy shirts, doesn’t mean I should go around telling everyone wearing one that I hate their outfit. My dislike is subjective; it’s my opinion. My opinion may hurt someone’s feelings or personal sense of style. I keep my mouth shut.
The narcissist doesn’t refrain. The narcissist WILL comment to everyone wearing a corduroy shirt that it’s ugly. If someone becomes offended and shuts down, the narcissist will simply say, “Well, it’s the truth.”
But is it the truth? It may be true for the narcissist, but it’s not true for everyone. What’s truly sad, is that the narcissist will try to argue why it’s true, when universally no subjective truth can be transformed into an objective truth that all believe. The narcissist will make every attempt to do just that and then cry “foul” on you for thinking illogically. Yes, YOU are thinking illogically.
My next post: How to Respond to a Narcissist
This was such a great post simple and easy to understand.
Ha! Last night, my husband, when I was trying to tell him that the things he says are hurtful, told me that I just take what he says the wrong way. I appreciated this post!