Some narcissistic people do develop new social skills with the help of a mental health professional. While this might work with someone without the condition who plays the victim, it wonвЂ™t likely work for someone with NPD. You may even try to convince them to change their ways. You might hope they change or grow out of it. In that scenario, they may believe theyвЂ™re the victim of someone elseвЂ™s bad intentions.Д®ven if you understand that narcissistic personality disorder is a complex mental health condition and not a personal choice, it can feel overwhelming to have someone frequently feeling or acting like a victim. And in the case of people living with narcissistic personality disorder, projection may sometimes explain why they play the victim.ДЇor example, if someone with NPD is highly competitive to the point of sabotaging someone else to get ahead, they might believe itвЂ™s the other person whoвЂ™s trying to sabotage them.ДЇor them, a difference of opinion expressed during a work meeting with the boss might be interpreted as a co-workerвЂ™s attempt to hurt them. Projection isnвЂ™t something you fake or pretend. вЂњItвЂ™s not me - itвЂ™s them.вЂќДЇor example, you might feel threatened in some way by a co-worker, but you perceive the situation as them being jealous of you. This is when someone unconsciously вЂњprojectsвЂќ their own feelings or reality onto another person. вЂњTheyвЂ™re just nervous IвЂ™ll eventually get promoted to their position, so theyвЂ™d rather sabotage me and help someone else instead.вЂќДЄnother common defense mechanism in narcissism is projection. But if someone else gets the raise or promotion they believe they deserve more, they might explain it as jealousy from the boss. This вЂњbad guyвЂќ versus вЂњvictimвЂќ train of thought may work to soothe their distress.ДЇor example, they might believe theyвЂ™re the smartest and ablest member of the team. If someone with either delusions of grandeur or grandiosity faces a situation where theyвЂ™re not the hero they think they are, they might justify it by saying someone else is trying to harm them. This means itвЂ™s likely to change according to external factors. Grandiosity is a similar defense mechanism where someone has a sense of power and self-importance, often not based on actual facts.ДЄ person with narcissistic personality may have developed these beliefs to compensate for painful childhood experiences.Д«ecause of this, self-esteem based on these false beliefs might be what clinicians call fragile. These are false beliefs about themselves that may make them feel theyвЂ™re nothing short of a superhero and invincible. Some people with the disorder live with delusions of grandeur.

People with narcissistic personality disorder may also use specific defense mechanisms to protect themselves. Sometimes, it protects us from remembering painful experiences other times, it might help us cope with perceived threats to our identity, integrity, and sense of self. WeвЂ™re not usually aware when a defense mechanism is activated but it serves a purpose. Not everyone with narcissistic personality plays the victim.Д®veryone uses defense mechanisms in different circumstances and for different reasons. Not everyone who plays the victim has narcissistic personality.

The tendency to have low introspection combined with an exaggerated sense of superiority may leave them unable to see the situation in a way that doesnвЂ™t fit their worldview.ДЄs a result, they may вЂњplay the victimвЂќ in some scenarios.ДЄ few reasons to play this role may be directly connected to the symptoms of NPD: This is part of the complexity of narcissistic personality disorder. This just doesnвЂ™t align with their inflated sense of self.

This is why they might feel attacked when you contradict them or tell them theyвЂ™ve done something wrong. They might not be able to вЂњsee itвЂќ even when you point it out to them. In general, people with this disorder have a difficult time being aware of their behaviors and how these affect others. If youвЂ™ve ever been in a relationship with someone with narcissistic personality disorder, you may have noticed that they lack both self-awareness and self-reflection. Whether they really feel like a victim or just play the victim to tweak social interactions to their benefit isnвЂ™t always clear. In a 2020 qualitative study, relatives of people with narcissistic personalities reported that their loved ones often showed a victim mentality. Research from 2003 suggests that people high in narcissism may see themselves as victims of interpersonal transgressions more often than people not living with the disorder. Narcissistic personality disorder and the victim mentality

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